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No, I'm not plotting another sequel. No, I've not replaced Claude. No, Tia hasn't had a baby. Today, I wanted to shout out another author with their own monkey. A charming one too. Serena Choo is back with The Dancing Monkey and Living The Way of Zen. I wrote about the original a few moons ago and was delighted to see an email from her recently mentioning a new book ready to launch. I've already devoured the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) and am now reading it again on Kindle Unlimited at a more leisurely pace befitting the little dancing monkey protagonist. Two things I particularly love about her collection of parable-style life lessons in Book 2: It embraces the messiness of progress. The monkey is undoubtedly wiser this time around yet still struggles with old habits, the lure of shortcuts and the mood swings of life. Even if you've climbed a big tree in your life, another will soon await you. Having exchanged emails with Serena I can tell she's a good egg. One who writes with honesty, care for her readers and has a wonderful knack of adding little doses of humour at the right times. Skillfully using interiority to create a main character who you just can't help but root for. This is all while developing her author business alongside the inevitable 'wiggles' of work & life. So if you fancy a little more calm in your life right now (without being preached at), I'd highly recommend checking out this other monkey. Let me know if you give it a whirl. Jim P.S. It's Liv's birthday today, so we're off on a mini adventure to the seaside armed with our swimmers, a few tinnies and a fresh pack of Percy Pigs. |
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