Joffe’s  book of the week this week is THE SOUTH BANK MURDERS, the gripping new crime mystery from bestselling author Biba Pearce, out now for just 99p | 99c.

His mentor slain. A detective out for revenge. A criminal mastermind always one step ahead. Retired Chief Superintendent Sam Lawrance, Rob’s friend and mentor, has been shot dead.
And when the body of a young man is found on the south bank of the Thames near the London Eye, Rob suspects the cases may be related. Their suspect is not some amateur criminal, but someone with terrifying reach, known only as The Wolf.

His baby won’t sleep. His partner needs him. Can he be there for them and bring a killer to justice?

Full of twists and turns, this really is unputdownable from an author who is bound to find a place amongst your ‘favourites

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY OF THE SOUTH BANK MURDERS BY BIBA PEARCE FOR JUST 99P | 99C.
                                                 

Detective Sarah Quinn 1-4  by Maureen Carter    OUT NOW — ONLY 99P | 99C

Get FOUR excellent mysteries set in the buzzing city of Birmingham, full of twists and turns you’ll never see coming, in one great-value box set.

“One of crime fiction’s best-kept secrets.” Sharon Wheeler, reviewingtheevidence.com

OUT NOW — ONLY £1.99 | $2.99

Constable at the Fair by Nicholas Rhea

All’s not entirely fair out on the North Yorkshire moors . . .  A long-dead body turns up on the moors, clutching a jar of priceless Tudor coins. He was peddler who never made it to Scarborough Fair. How did he meet his end?

Can Constable Nick piece together the puzzle while keeping the peace? Read a favourite author of mine Nicholas Rhea with his latest  village mystery.

Some exciting author news from team Joffe who are delighted to announce the acquisition of Gaynor Torrance’s DI Jemima Huxley crime thriller series in a five-book deal! Ooh, can’t wait.

Many more new offerings at joffebooks.com

For the last 20 years, Nick Fewings has been working with teams around the world to motivate and inspire them to transform how they work,  and so achieve even greater success. He has also shared his knowledge and experience of teamwork at many conferences, providing delegates with practical tips and suggestions on how to increase their team’s effectiveness.

Asked, “Have you written a book about how to achieve high performance teamwork?” His answer has always been no, but that has all changed.

Team Lead Succeed is for anyone who works in a team and wants to make a positive difference to the effectiveness of their teamwork. It provides tools, learning and practical suggestions to help teams achieve even greater success by understanding both WHO is in their team and HOW effective their teamwork is.

Team Lead Succeed helps teams appreciate those areas of their teamwork that are working well, while also highlighting areas that could be working better and need to be shared with the whole team, discussed and if agreed, changed.

As I read it, I thought about this, and  I  feel I could have used it when my kids were teenagers… It might have stopped me from tearing my hair out. Most useful, readable and sound.  Nick says “I believe everyone in a team has a voice, which needs to be heard, especially when things aren’t working as well as they should be. After all, nothing will change if you do not take action and speak up.”

  Author Nick Fewings, Director of Ngagementworks, has for the last 20 years facilitated team development. He calls himself a teamologist, someone who specialises in the study of the dynamics of teamwork, using this knowledge to help teams become more effective.

Nick is also the creator of the Team DyNAmics Model, used by teams to measure their effectiveness in 16 areas of teamwork. This allows teams to understand whether they are dysfunctional, average or high performing.

So back to this book,  Team, Lead, Succeed.

Read it, learn from Nick’s experiences as a worldwide team coach. Be guided, we don’t have to make ALL the mistakes in order to make a better job of it when this is on hand.

Team Lead Succeed by Nick Fewings is out now.

Kate’s book grabbed me in the first few lines:

‘Menopause is transformative…an opportunity to evolve & grow. Menopause is a loud call to re-evaluate who we think we are, and to become our true selves with authenticity & grace.’

‘Yes!’ I thought & grabbed my highlighter, I knew I was going to like this book.

Kate Codrington  invites the reader to consider the seasons of our life like the seasons of our year: active & adventurous in Spring & Summer, quieter, more inwards in the Autumn & Winter, emerging, reborn if you like, into our Second Spring.

Peri-menopause is our Autumn phase, menopause our Winter stage. We are being called to slow down, turn inwards, take stock, re-evaluate. This is something I absolutely believe in.

Taking the time to nurture & nourish ourselves in our Autumn & Winter stages allows us to emerge again with vitality, vibrance & a lust for life.

Kate takes us on a holistic journey, exploring the psychological & physical issues as well as the emotional, mental, spiritual aspects of the separation encountered during peri-meno; surrender during the menopause & emergence of post-menopause.

It’s broken into short, really easy to digest sections, quotes, anecdotes, so it’s really easy to pick up when you have 5 minutes & just as easy to get lost in. I went through 3 highlighters reading it!

There are facts & figures, tips & advise & down to earth suggestions of a more traditional & more holistic approach.

In my own meno journey, I had very little experience of menopause until it was apparent I was up to my ears in it. As soon as I started talking to friends I realized I wasn’t alone. I started doing lots of research & doing the work: turning inwards, slowing down, making changes so that I could live my best life for the rest if my life.

But I had never really considered my peri-meno journey. Having been diagnosed over a decade ago with severe agitated depression, I had however begun to question this diagnosis, as I began to understand that many women are misdiagnosed with mental health issues in their peri-menopause.

Reading Kate’s own description of being peri-menopausal with babies resonated so profoundly with my own experience. Finally something made sense. I carried a lot of shame for being a bad mum, letting everyone down, unable to cope when in fact I was experiencing the peri-menopause. Wow that was powerful – such a relief, finally I could let go of all those old story lines.

Kate also offers practices to try out at the end of each chapter. In all honesty, I have a good solid self-care practice. I know what works for me & I’m unapologetic about claiming the time for this. So I definitely got more from the body of the book than these sections.

However, if you don’t prioritize yourself regularly, try not to be overwhelmed by the suggestions, pick one that resonates & give it a go. Nurturing & nourishing yourself through this transition is absolutely key.

At the end of the day, I always think if you come away with a couple of good ideas from a book like this it’s done its job.

So, what have I come away with? A great deal & can’t recommend this book more highly because even if you’re not menopausal, I bet you know someone who is – after all approx. 1/3 of the female population are estimated to be surfing their Autumn, Winter or Second Spring phase.

I love Kate’s vision for the menopause, it’s absolutely what I believe in;  embracing this life changing transition as an opportunity to create a life you absolutely love, because you are absolutely worth it.

Buy it, learn from it. I have.

Second Spring by Kate Codrington. Available from all good book stores and online too.

If you would like to find out more Alex Bannard and a creating your own self-care practices check out Alex’s FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfulnessyoga4selfcare

Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexbannard/

Incorporate short yoga sequences & meditations as part of your self-care toolkit with guided practices on Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlKZJ7MeyYc6lqkv6seISw

For more info check out www.alexbannard.com

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Having used her training & knowledge to navigate her own menopausal journey & create a life in which she is thriving, Alex is devoted in supporting other’s in this life changing transition.