Book picks similar to
The Playground by Shannon Heuston
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The Way Life Should Be
Christina Baker Kline - 2007
She is single in New York City, stuck in a job she doesn’t want and a life that seems to have, somehow, just happened. She inherited a flair for Italian cooking from her grandmother, but she never seems to have the time for it—these days, her oven holds only sweaters. Tacked to her office bulletin board is a photo from a magazine of a tidy cottage on the coast of Maine—a charming reminder of a life that could be hers, if she could only muster the courage to go after it.On a hope and a chance, Angela decides to pack it all up and move to Maine, finding the nudge she needs in the dating profile of a handsome sailor who loves dogs and Italian food. But her new home isn’t quite matching up with the fantasy. Far from everything familiar, Angela begins to rebuild her life from the ground up. Working at a local coffeehouse, she begins to discover the pleasures and secrets of her new small-town community and, in the process, realizes there’s really no such thing as the way life should be.
The Murmur of Bees
Sofía Segovia - 2015
Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can—visions of all that’s yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats—both human and those of nature—Simonopio’s purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.
Villa America
Liza Klaussmann - 2015
Villa America was in fact a real house on the French Riviera that Sara and Gerald Murphy built to escape to in the 1920's. Members of a group of expat Americans, they were known for their fabulous parties and for making the Riviera into the glamorous place it is today. Their freewheeling days were filled with champagne and caviar, but these were people who kept secrets and who were, of course, heartbreakingly human. This is a stunning story about the Lost Generation, about a marriage, about a golden age which could not last.
The Girl Inside
Karyn Masters - 2017
Her husband, Jax, owns an established psychiatry practice. Happily married and successful, you could say they have a bright future ahead of them. Of course, some things aren't always as they appear. Jax has a patient, Evangeline, who is obsessed with him. She can't decide whether she wants to love him, kill him, or destroy his life. Evangeline has a tumultuous personality. She is unpredictable and only has one thing on her mind, abolishing anything that threatens her happiness. As Jax's patient, she does more than confide in him, she falls under his spell, and they have secrets they'll do anything to protect. Is there more than meets the eye between doctor and patient? Is Jax living a lie? This psychological thriller, with its numerous twists and turns, raises constant questions throughout the story, such as: Who is this mysterious woman? Where did she come from? Is she dangerous? How is she tied to Jax? Is Greta a pawn in their game, or is she the queen?
The Crash
Kip Nelson - 2016
This mission will have him escorting the prisoner across America. When things go awry, Mack finds himself in the middle of a forest surrounded by the plane’s debris. Initially, he believes the crash to have been the result of a mechanical error, but soon discovers that the electrical malfunction may have been the result of an EMP. As the sole survivors, Mack and Grace will have to band together to find their way to a military bunker for shelter, but she lacks the necessary skills and means to survive. Will her inexperience be too much of a cross to bear? Can they find out the truth about what caused the devastating crash before succumbing to the elements?
Jimmie Barnes
Barry Davis - 2013
After an incredible 132 years of life, his time is short.Jimmie has one mission, unfullfilled - the return of his father's hard earned 40 acres, awarded to the slave soldier at the end of the Civil War.Over the decades Jimmie approaches the rich and famous, including all the American Presidents from Grant to Reagan in a quest to have the land returned. He makes one president cry (Nixon), helps kill another (McKinley) and accepts the brotherhood of an unlikely ally ("brother" Ronnie Reagan).Will Jimmie finally get back the 40 acres?A reader's review: Jimmie Barnes is similar to the style of Forest Gump, minus the guile and innocence. Rage, injustice and racism in all it's true colors are depicted from the main character to the behind the scenes players. The game of politics in a scary and grim light, makes you wonder is this fiction or closer to the truth than you want it to be?
A Hole in the Heart: A Novel
Christopher Marquis - 2003
Love and marriage follow in short order, surprising Bean, who feels that her husband is not only the best thing to happen to her, but the only good thing.Then Mick vanishes leading amateur hikers--or "tuna" as the guides call them--up Mt. McKinley. Suddenly, Bean is thrown back upon herself and into the company of Mick's mother Hanna, an arthritic woman in her seventies who believes that "a little larceny is good for the circulation."The pair chafe at first, but eventually become partners in a road trip back to California. Mike's disappearance feels like a hole in the heart, they decide, and Hanna tells Bean to prize that hole; it's something no one can take away from her. With gentle humor, pathos, and boundless stores of hope, Marquis writes of Bean's struggle with early widowhood, loss, and moving on.An avid bird-watcher, Bean takes much of her wisdom from the Pemberton Guide to Alaska Birds. Like the globe-crossing birds she so admires, she has struggled to get aloft, but for a delicious, perhaps fleeting moment in this marvelous novel, we see her glide.Book Magazine selected Christopher Marquis as one of "Ten To Watch In 2003" for this "Proulxian saga." With its first-rate evocation of landscape and its affectionately drawn characters, A Hole in the Heart marks the publication debut of a prodigiously talented writer.
One Heart
Jane McCafferty - 1999
Bonded by their affection and shared loneliness, Gladys and Ivy remain divided by a wall of silence that prevents Gladys from accepting the solace Ivy desperately wants to give. But their quiet lives are upended when a young woman with a mysterious past arrives on their doorstep and whisks Gladys away on a journey of discovery. Ultimately Gladys's experience transforms both sisters, teaching them the importance of emotional honesty and the value of family.In the tradition of Anne Tyler and Louise Erdrich, One Heart is a moving tale of friendship, forgiveness, and redemption-a remarkable achievement from an exquisitely talented writer.
The Palindrome Cult
Kevin Bradley - 2017
But when the US Ambassador to London and the British Prime Minister are caught up in it, the situation becomes deadly.The Palindrome Cult members are fanatical. They will stop at nothing to achieve their aims. But who are they? And who is their elusive leader?Hedge and Cole must hunt them down, before the government is fatally damaged, and before more people have to die.This is a novel in the acclaimed Hedge & Cole thriller series.(The Palindrome Cult story concludes in this book, but the main characters are set to return in future exploits).Cole is a tough, ex-military man. He’s the sort of person that trouble and danger seem to follow, wherever he goes. He can be ruthless when he needs to be. And he often finds the need.Hedge is a reluctant hero. Plagued with anxieties and haunted by flashbacks, he is not the type of lead character that you would normally expect. This novel is refreshingly different in that respect.You are invited along for the ride, but will you be able to unravel the secret of the Cult before the ultimate, shocking, twist in the tail?Kevin Bradley shows how to mix fast paced action, with suspense and intrigue. This novel will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.This book would sit well alongside your Lee Child and Michael Connelly favourites!
Truth Lies Waiting
Emma Salisbury - 2014
And you're now being framed for it. Only the person framing you is a cop... Davy Johnson is a young man from the wrong side of the tracks with a target on his back. After a spell in prison he is trying to make a life for himself but one cop won’t leave him alone, following him around and carting him off to the station just for the fun of it. The harassment turns sinister when Davy witnesses his nemesis overstep the mark with a local junkie – and makes the mistake of telling him he’s been seen. What happens next sees Davy framed for a string of murders with no one to help him but the gang leader he turned his back on when he got out of jail – but what will he want in return? With the help of an ex con and a local cabbie Davy goes on the run to prove his innocence but as the body count rises he discovers a connection between what’s happening now and a tragedy involving his father many years before. Will he be able to work out the truth from the lie in time to save the killer’s next victim? Scottish crime fiction with a sting in the tail...
You saw something you shouldn't have
Brandon Faircloth - 2018
To be entertained. Then you find yourself in a school where a group of friends have brought something terrible to life. You meet a family whose extraordinary luck comes at a horrific price. You write a letter to yourself and get a reply that leads to death and madness. As you journey through these shrouded lands, you look back and can't make out where you started. Because once you're traveling through the darkness, the only way out is through. Read the collection of novellas and short stories that is being called "genius", "amazing", and "scary AF". But be prepared. You won't be the same when you come out the other side.
The Depths
Kirk Kjeldsen - 2018
And it does, as they enjoy trading thebustle of their Shanghai life behind for the idyllic tropical paradise.But while on a diving excursion, they're taken hostage by a group ofterrorists, who take them to a remote island and hold them there forransom. The longer that time drags on, though, the more doubts Marahbegins to have about their captors' true motivations.
The Town with No Roads
Joe Siple - 2019
Memorable objects from Aspen Collins’ childhood are appearing in the town square, accompanied by notes in her father’s handwriting. The notes relate to things happening in her life now. But that’s impossible —Aspen's father is in a coma. The miracle brings chaos in the form of a ghost hunter, three different factions of people with conflicting beliefs about the miracle, and a television reporter who Aspen finds herself falling for. But when everything comes to a head, an impossible choice must be made. And the consequences of either decision could be too much to bear. An enchanting follow-up to Siple’s award-winning debut, The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride, The Town with No Roads is a story of forgiveness and redemption that explores whether unconditional love should hold us close or set us free.
Rise and Shine
Anna Quindlen - 2006
A household name as the host of Rise and Shine, the country's highest-rated morning talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial break–but not before she mutters two forbidden words into her open mike. In an instant, it's the end of an era, not only for Meghan, who is unaccustomed to dealing with adversity, but also for her younger sister, Bridget, a social worker in the Bronx who has always lived in Meghan's long shadow. The effect of Meghan's on-air truth telling reverberates through both their lives, affecting Meghan's son, husband, friends, and fans, as well as Bridget's perception of her sister, their complex childhood, and herself. What follows is a story about how, in very different ways, the Fitzmaurice women adapt, survive, and manage to bring the whole teeming world of New York to heel by dint of their smart mouths, quick wits, and the powerful connection between them that even the worst tragedy cannot shatter.
Terminal House
Sean Costello - 2017
Now imagine being intimately aware of the process, but helpless to arrest it. Would you be afraid? For retired physician Ben Hunter, that malign force is Alzheimer’s disease—and he is terrified.Now a resident in a major geriatric center, Ben straddles an ever-widening gulf between a muddled present and an idealized past, never quite certain which will support his weight. Against this backdrop, he meets Roxanne Austen, an 18-year-old student who both enriches his life and accelerates his descent into bewilderment.With equal measures of frankness and humor, Terminal House illuminates the many challenges of aging, including dementia, death and dying, voluntary euthanasia, and romantic love.Here's a sample of what advance readers are saying about Terminal House:"As a retired editor who doesn't watch television I probably read 300 novels a year (about one a day).Unequivocally,Terminal House is the best of the year, actually the best for a long while. How someone who is not that old could capture the feelings, desires, memories and fears of an older person is astounding. He emotionally touched the true feelings of both elderly people and the younger persons around them. No one will be able to put this book down once they start reading.