(NewsUSA) -  

Reef Road
by Deborah Goodrich Royce

When a severed hand washes ashore in the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach, FL, the lives of two women—a lonely writer obsessed with the unsolved murder of her mother’s best friend and a panicked wife whose husband has disappeared with their children—collide as the world shutters in the pandemic lockdown of 2020.

In a nod to the true crime that inspired it, “Reef Road” probes unhealed generational scars in a wrenching and original work of fiction. It is both stunning and sexy and, like a bystander surprised by a curtain left open, you won’t be able to look away. “Though pure fiction, it reads as compellingly as a mixture of memoir and exposé. It has left me shaken to the core,” says NYTimes bestselling author Luanne Rice.

Purchase at https://bit.ly/3iJung5.

Hell of Hosanna
by Kip Langton

"Kip Langton is a writer to watch", says NYT bestselling author Fiona Davis.

Imagine the Empire State Building removed from New York City. Imagine that building reconstructed brick-by-brick on your father's private island--the trappings of the past stolen from the public to indulge unfettered hypocrisy. This is James's defeated and ravaged landscape when his father successfully monopolizes all forms of industry into one perfect company called U atop the collapse of the old world.
Ownership no longer exists. Now, anyone can have anything--temporarily. But to James, the "rent and move on" lifestyle is a total hell. Then one strange day, the whole thing comes tumbling down and James can break away. In a U space shuttle, he travels to the ultimate unknown. Freedom? The real hosanna?

Purchase at https://amzn.to/3LtKV64.

I Killed Sam
by Robert A. Steadman

Inspired by the true story of a groundbreaking defense of a Flint, MI, woman who killed her abusive husband in the mid-1950s—a time when a husband could rape his wife in Michigan without facing criminal charges. 

This fictionalized account of the trial is more than a legal trial, replete with unexpected plot turns and the drama of a young, small-town lawyer trying to juggle his obligations to his client and to his fledgling law practice. There’s also romance— attorney Bob Nichols is in love with Betty, the defendant and his high school sweetheart whom he should never have let go. Nichols is tortured by the thought of losing his long-shot, legal gamble, which would mean forever losing Betty to a life sentence in prison.

Purchase at https://bit.ly/3iSoRYQ.

Make Your Factory Great & Keep It That Way
by Liam Cassidy 

Liam Cassidy is known as “The Serial Factory Fixer.” He's the man that multinationals in the USA, Canada, China, the UK and Ireland have on speed dial. The man with the plan and the one to call to fix a broken factory.  In his 40-year career, Liam has used lean principals and tools, with his unique brand of leadership, to turn around factories and supply chains all over the world including some considered “too far gone” to salvage. 

Now he shares the secret of his success and some very interesting case studies and outlines how lean principles and tools were vital in the processes he adopted to save plants. If you are determined to make your factory great, this is the only book you’ll ever need.

Purchase at https://bit.ly/3IqCKrX.

BookTrib’s Bites is presented by BookTrib.com.

(NewsUSA) - With the busy holiday season now over, there’s no better time than the present to take stock of your plans for a healthier lifestyle in the new year. But even with the best intentions, plans can sometimes fall by the wayside. No matter your age, fitness level, or current work-life balance, GOLO – the health and wellness solutions company – has tips and suggestions to help achieve tangible health and wellness benefits.

Five suggestions for the new year:

1. Set goals and make a plan: The beginning of a new year is the perfect opportunity to reevaluate your health and wellness goals. The key is to set realistic goals and create a sustainable plan of action to help achieve them.

2. Get organized: Believe it or not, one of the best ways to start planning sustainable and lasting health and wellness is by organizing your kitchen and filling it with nutritious food. Whether it’s a big family dinner or a quick snack before you head out the door, the more organized your kitchen is, the easier it will be to make better eating choices.

3. Find an accountability partner: Holding yourself accountable to a specific health goal can be difficult. You may not always feel up to the challenge of eating the best foods or exercising. Enlist the support of a friend or family member who can help hold you accountable and who’s got your back through the ups and downs of becoming a healthier you.

4. Stay active: Whether you prefer cardio, strength training, or a mix of both, you can improve your overall health by adding exercise to your daily routine. Even doing simple chores around the house like scrubbing floors and vacuuming are great ways to get in some exercise.

5. Stay Hydrated: Making sure you drink enough water is important no matter what season it is. Even if you don’t feel hot or thirsty, you should still get as much water into your system as you can. Remember, you can also get water from foods like fruits, vegetables, and soups.

“The start of a new year is a great time to revisit and refresh your health and wellness goals,” says Jennifer Brooks, President of GOLO. “As a starting point, consider the positive strides already made from the previous year and build on them.”

Wherever you are on your health and wellness journey, GOLO offers a range of innovative products designed to help, including the GOLO for Life Plan®, a game-changing nutritional approach to losing weight and a healthy alternative to conventional dieting. The program includes a healthy balanced meal plan, GOLO Release® (an all-natural dietary supplement), and free online tools.

Learn more

Visit golo.com for information and suggestions

(NewsUSA) - The past few years have upended many perceptions of financial stability. A layoff or career change, inflation never before seen by younger generations and the lingering uncertainty of the pandemic might have thrown off your financial planning.

The new year is a great time to review your strategies for smart spending and saving so you can weather whatever the future has in store.

Financial planning professionals suggest that you start by creating a budget. Online trackers such as Mint.com can help you understand your spending. Also, reviewing your expenses with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional is a great way to get a handle on spending smart today while saving for tomorrow.

Try these tips for saving and spending in 2023:

Use credit responsibly: Pay off credit cards each month, if possible, to avoid accumulating debt and build good credit.

Set up automatic savings: You can do this through your bank and via your employer’s payroll. Use the new year to take a fresh look at the savings options through your employer, including Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), which can be carried over from one year to the next.

Invest windfalls: Invest any unexpected cash, such as bonuses or tax refunds, and make your money work harder for you. If you find yourself with significant new assets, such as an inheritance, a CFP® professional can help you make the most of your good fortune.

Review your retirement plans: The new year may bring changes such as buying a home, updating a will or navigating a higher tax bracket. A CFP® professional can provide a new year review to keep your retirement plans on track no matter where you are in your working life.

Plan your tax payments: Consider paying estimated taxes throughout the year to avoid a large tax bill in April. Estimated tax payments can be especially helpful for contract workers or freelancers who don’t have taxes taken out of their pay automatically.

Shop smarter: Combat inflation by switching to store brands for some items. Check whether generic medications will work for you and compare prices for different pharmacies.

Visit LetsMakeAPlan.org for more information about financial planning and how to find a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional near you.

(NewsUSA) - The best way to make an impact on members of a community is to enlist a trusted source.

Black Americans are more likely to develop and die from lung cancer than persons of any other racial or ethnic group, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA). However, research shows that members of the African American community often mistrust the U.S. healthcare system.

Early screening is key to detection, prevention, and management of lung cancer. “The early detection of lung cancer allows for patients to have more treatment options and a far greater chance of survival,” according to the LCFA website. “As a result, the 5-year survival rate for those diagnosed before the cancer has spread rises from 18 out of every 100 people to 55 out of every 100,” according to LCFA, but many individuals in underserved areas miss the chance for early testing that could lead to better outcomes.

To help reach Black communities in underserved areas, the LCFA is enlisting the help of trusted local resource: the hair salon.

Hair salons have historically been one of the most accessible local businesses in underserved Black communities. Salons are often seen not only as successful sources of entrepreneurship, but as gathering places and community forums. Hairstylists are friends and confidants of their clientele, and are so trusted with personal information they often feel like "Hairapists."

LCFA has developed a strategy to leverage the influence of hair salons to distribute valuable and potentially lifesaving information about lung cancer screening. The new initiative features a training video aimed at hairdressers that guides them in explaining the importance of screening, because people of color remain at an increased risk of developing and dying from lung cancer.

The LCFA recommends annual lung cancer screening for anyone who answers “yes” to three questions.

• Are you between the ages of 50 and 80 years?
• Do you have symptoms of lung cancer, such as coughing, chest pain, or shortness of breath?
• Do you currently smoke or were you a smoker and quit?

Anyone who says yes to these questions meets the criteria for lung cancer screening, regardless of race, for recommended annual computed tomography (CT) screening. This non-invasive diagnostic test may be covered by Medicare and insurance companies.

For more information, visit LCFAmerica.org or text L-C-F-A to 41444.

(Andrew R. Campanella) - For parents across the country who have been enlightened or frustrated by education during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new and exciting innovation is emerging, creating new opportunities for families. It's a 21st century way of approaching learning, with flexible options popping up in local communities across the country. Though each is unique, these new options broadly fall under the category of microschooling and learning pods.

Perhaps someone you knew joined a pod in the absence of in-person schooling during the height of the pandemic. Maybe your sister-in-law has been raving about the public charter microschool she found for her son. By challenging the conventional wisdom of how schooling must be done, microschooling and learning pods refocus the education conversation around everyone's shared goal: the educational success and happiness of students.

If you want to find out more about these new learning options, or the traditional public, public charter, public magnet, private, online, or at home education options available to your family, you're in luck this month. National School Choice Week will take place January 22-28, 2023, organized by the National School Choice Awareness Foundation to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options for children.

As a parent in 2023, you're bound to have questions about the K-12 system, which has changed rapidly in our lifetimes. If you're not familiar with all your school choices, or what to ask when comparing them, you're not the only one. Today, more than ever, families are interested in school choice, and states are creating policies that increase the opportunities for families to choose a school. For the majority of parents in this country, the real question isn't whether you have school choice, but how you'll use it.

If your child is not happy at school or having challenges that are going unaddressed, it may be time to evaluate your options. As a parent, you know better than anyone what your child needs. But you may not yet know all the school options available to you.

Evaluating your options in January gives you plenty of time to consider new schools (or a learning pod). Occasionally, I talk to folks who ask me whether parents are open to making new school choices after the education disruptions virtually every family experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. My answer is an emphatic "yes!" Parents are more informed than ever and more invested in making sure their kids' educational needs are met. This month, millions of them will celebrate a great school they've chosen or make the decision to select a new option. We can all see the value in that.

Andrew Campanella is president and CEO of National School Choice Awareness Foundation and the author of The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child.