So we’ve all got more time to catch up on the things we’ve been putting off. But all work and no play is just not fun. Here are a few books for your Kindle or to dust off, if you’ve already purchased them. We’ve included children’s books, contemporary fiction, romance, sports and poetry. While most of the selections are by Montserratian authors, we’ve added a few more which either feature the island or have a connection in some way.
Read on…
Children’s Books
Fury on Soufriere Hills – When Kyle, Mark and his pet monkey Chee Chee climbed the tallest mountain in St. Kitts, they thought that was the end of their adventure. In fact, it was just the beginning. In Fury on Soufriere Hills, the two best friends are once again thrown into an exciting adventure as they travel into the past to the island of Montserrat where, with Chee Chee’s help, they must try to save the Carib people from being destroyed by a volcanic eruption.
Find more books featuring Chee Chee, for children and teens by Caribbean authors at www.caribbeanreads.com.
Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure by Antiguan author Joanne C. Hillhouse Beautifully illustrated by Trinidadian artist Danielle Boodoo-Fortune, Lost! is inspired by the story of an Arctic seal which found itself in the Caribbean seas a few years ago. The book pulls children into a fun adventure about kindness and friendship that will leave them with a greater appreciation of our marine environment. Lost! includes a fun maze which gives children a chance to help the lost seal find his way home.
In the book, Dolphin, much like his real life counterpart, the young male hooded seal Wadadli, finds himself stranded in the Caribbean Sea, and far from his home in the North Atlantic. Wadadli was rescued by the Coast Guard of Antigua and Barbuda, while the fictional seal, Dolphin, has a little help from a new underwater friend.
Read it FREE on Kindle Unlimited or order a print version here.
Message in a Bottle is a new illustrated book, which seeks to educate children about litter and its impacts on the marine environment. Deep-sea litter is a world-wide problem endangering marine life.
Download the FREE PDF book here…Message in a Bottle
Olive Goes to School by Rosetta Allen and Garvin “Scrappy” Johnson – As school opens for the new school term, our friend Oliver Oriole goes on an adventurous journey and gets to experience his first day at school.
You can also watch/listen to the audio version of the book here…
The Adventures of JoJo – The Dungeon by Kenneth “Rabo” Silcott – Jojo and Cecil are best friends. They play games together, visit each other at home, and tell each other everything. Until… One day Jojo starts acting suspiciously. He’s coughing a lot, and trying to ditch Cecil. What’s going on? Cecil starts to imagine that Jojo is deathly ill and doesn’t want to tell him. When in reality, Jojo has joined a secret club, and can’t tell Cecil or who knows what will happen? When Cecil returns to Jojo’s house he sees a note tucked under the door. It’s a ransom note! Jojo’s been kidnapped!! Or has he…?
Contact the author for a printed copy. Get it for Kindle here.
Contemporary Fiction
In Church Affairs by Theo Semper, three ambitious young women Jynene, Shivon, and Stephanie are each struggling to hide a troubled past. Whether they meet purely by chance or by divine intervention, their lives become intertwined. They become friends, leaning on each other throughout their difficulties.
Handsome Pastor Robert Grant, assistant pastor at St. Luke United Church, is having an internal battle of his own about his calling to God and the perception that the Church is a “racket.” He is also struggling to understand the death of his brother.
When Jynene, who is a young mother, falls in love with Pastor Grant, she prays that her violent past, including a convict ex-boyfriend, does not unravel, taking with it her dreams of a perfect life.
Hibiscus Summers by Pat Crichton captures Montserrat in the summer of 1974 and 2014.
‘This is Runaway Ghaut,’ he said. ‘If you drink from the water here, it is said that you are meant to come back to Montserrat in the future. I thought we should try.’
In 1974, the summer before she starts art school, Aberdeen teenager Annie Fraser wins a scholarship to paint in the lush, verdant landscape of Montserrat. Determined to express herself and surrender to new experiences, her friendship with Wallace Browne – a young Londoner visiting his Montserratian family – begins to blossom into something more.
Then in 2014 still reeling from the sudden death of her husband, retired teacher Annie Davidson returns to Montserrat, resolved to rediscover her love of art and reconnect with life. She finds the island greatly changed by a devastating volcanic eruption, but its people as vibrant and welcoming as they once were. When a face from Annie’s past reappears, she finds something else worth rediscovering.
Poetry
Nomad by Yvonne Weekes
In an early review, Jamaican performance artist A-dziko Simba Gegele said, “Nomad is a survivors’ handbook and a travelers’ guide for anyone who has known the burden of a life bundled into bags.”
The late Dr. George Irish said “After the explosion of the Soufrière Hills volcano … in ‘exile’ from her beloved Montserrat … choking memories of the flaming mountain follow the poet like an ominously ghostly and untamable spectre of awe and fear that awakens in her the determination to face life’s challenges with stubborn grit.”
Poetry by Sir Howard Fergus – You may have purchased a book or two from Montserrat’s most prolific author Sir Howard Fergus. Here’s a list of his latest collections of poetry. This is a wonderful time to enjoy his craftmansship with the written word.
Man of the Match Election Poems (2020)
First of August Come Again Poems of Celebration (2019)
Our Mother’s Dreamt (2019)
A Word in Season with St.Patrick’s Day and Mango Poems – 2018
March Montserrat and Hurricane Poems – 2018
Road from Long Ground: The Twilight Years (2016)
Tamarind Seeds by Myrle Roach
Each poem tells a story of its own, ranging from fond memories of school days, experiences during Montserrat’s volcanic crisis, living in Britain, a passion for carnival, and remembering the fallen.
Romance
Fire on Montserrat weaves a splendidly crafted tale of two young lovers torn between loyalty to family and to each other as the Soufriere Hills Volcano belches ash and stones on the island, tearing them apart. 20 years later they meet again attempting to rekindle the love of their youth, but many things have changed and faith in God is tested as through a series of riveting and suspenseful twists and turns true love strives for supremacy over hatred, vengeance and a dark secret which someone will kill to keep buried.
In Plain Sight by Discover Montserrat Editor Nerissa Golden is a romantic suspense and the second book in the Return to Love series.
Nikki Alvarez thought Montserrat was the best place to disappear and start life over. But her past has followed her to the tropical paradise in the most sinister of ways.
Being a police trainer on an island with minimal crime seemed an easy win for Dane Maartens, who wants nothing more than to raise his boys in peace. But trouble is washing up on the shore and his beautiful new nanny has secrets which could solve the mystery. Will she trust him to protect her heart and with the truth?
In Plain Sight now available.
Tragedy tore them apart and now a new crisis is bringing Monique Sinclair face to face with the man who broke her heart 18 years ago.
After Callen Saunders’ professional basketball career comes to a crashing end he returns to the beautiful Caribbean island of Montserrat broken and bitter. Could the love of an old flame give him a reason to start over?
Love’s Sweet Joy is the first book in the Return to Love series.
Sports/History
Stranded Batsman by Edwin L. Martin.
It is the story of Martin’s favorite cricketer Jim Allen, who he believes did not reach his full potential due to indiscipline, a freak injury and unattainable expectations.
Stranded Batsman “is an entertaining and insider view of the game of cricket” says Discover Montserrat Editor and author Nerissa Golden. “I got a crash course in West Indies cricket as well as learned about the Leeward Island teams. Another Montserratian who I never knew about until reading this book was Alford Corriette, who was Allen’s competition if you want to call him that.”
“Martin calls the book a cautionary tale of stardom, regret and unfulfilled promise. The book isn’t only for cricket lovers but for people who want to understand the inner workings of Montserrat and life then and now. You learn about family and community dynamics and I believe many will identify with the Montserrat seen in the pages.”
