Book picks similar to
Darkness Then a Blown Kiss by Golda Fried


can-lit
canadian-authors
modern-fiction
short-stories

From the Fifteenth District


Mavis Gallant - 1979
    An English family goes to the south of France for the sake of the father’s health, and to get away from an England of rationing and poverty. A displaced person turned French soldier in Algeria now makes a living as an actor in Paris. A group of selfish English expatriates on the Italian Riviera are incredulous that Mussolini and the Germans may affect their lives. A great writer’s quiet widow blossoms in widowhood, to the surprise and alarm of her children, who send a ten-year-old grandson to Switzerland to keep her company one Christmas. Full of wry humour and penetrating insights, this is Mavis Gallant at her most unforgettable.

The Mystery Series Collection #5-8


Paul Moxham - 2015
    Perfect for fans of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys: Follow four friends as they solve one exciting mystery after another in this clean and wholesome read set in 1950's England. * Are you up for a thrilling adventure?Join Joe, Amy, Sarah and Will in solving mysteries in the not so peaceful seaside village of Smugglers Cove.Contains Four Short Stories:*The Mystery of the Golden Elephant*The Mystery of the Red Balloon*The Mystery of the Howling Dog*The Mystery of the Hidden SuitcaseSet in 1950's Britain, these adventure stories will suit people who enjoy Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys or the Famous Five.

Swimming in the Congo


Margaret Meyers - 1995
    

A Day at the Beach Hut: Stories and Recipes Inspired by Seaside Life


Veronica Henry - 2021
    A celebration of beach hut living, from the bestselling author of the Beach Hut novels. From a tin mug of crab chowder after a bracing dip to a picnic feast for friends and family, this is a celebration of sunshine and sea air and salt spray; a love letter to the beach hut life.Whether you're dreaming of a coastal retreat or planning Christmas on the beach, this book offers a little taste of the seaside to keep in your kitchen or by your bed for those days when you need to get away from it all. Because we all need an escape every now and then...

The Icarus Effect


Nick Thacker - 2018
    To escape from it all... but fate has other plans. Harvey Bennett is no stranger to tragedy. He's searching for something. But he's not sure what. Life, unfortunately, keeps getting in the way. When tragedy strikes Harvey during a family camping trip, he does the only thing he knows how to do: he runs away. The Icarus Effect is a coming-of-age story set in the woods and backcountry of the US, following the saga of a young man who just wants to find his place in the world. He's alone, scared, and stubborn. The runaway bestseller The Enigma Strain and the follow-up series of Harvey Bennett Mysteries has fans asking the question: "who is Harvey Bennett?" How did Harvey Bennett go from reclusive park ranger to head of the Civilian Special Operations? Now, discover the answer: Introducing the newest in the Harvey Bennett universe: the Harvey Bennett Prequel series. If you like authors like Dan Brown, Clive Cussler, and Matt Reilly, you'll love Harvey Bennett. Start reading The Icarus Effect today!

Lost Books 4-In-1: Chosen, Infidel, Renegade, Chaos


Ted Dekker - 2012
    With a dwindling army and an epic threat, he is forced to supplement his fighters with new-young-recruits. From thousands, four will be chosen to lead a special mission."Infidel"-Stretched to their limits, the heroic young Forest Guard recruits-Johnis, Silvie, Billos, and Darsal-face new dangers on their mission to secure the seven Lost Books of History. In the end, one will be revealed an Infidel. And nothing will be the same for the remaining Chosen."Renegade"-Turning his back on all he once believed, Billos does the forbidden and enters a Book of History. He lands in a reality as foreign to him as water is to oil-a place called Paradise, Colorado. He has strange new powers given to him courtesy of a mysterious figure-Marsuvees Black."Chaos"-Deep in the mountains of Romania stands a fortress. Within it lies a dark chamber where one Shataiki bat straight from the bowels of the Black Forest has been ruling the dead for over two thousand years. He seeks the final Book of History with which he will destroy the world. But there are four who stand in his way.

Chez l'arabe: Stories


Mireille Silcoff - 2014
    As she struggles with her health, amongst an increasingly indifferent husband and volatile mother, she encounters unimaginable depths of loneliness and realizes that, even after she recovers, her life will never be the same.As the collection progresses, it picks up the threads of other people’s lives that have also been abruptly upended –- through death, divorce, illness and estrangements –- leaving them shocked and disoriented as they try to navigate their lives in new directions. A Montreal cookbook author remembers her stepmother's exquisite taste in dinner parties, and her failed marriage — both of which she seemed to inherit. An abandoned wife catches her glamorous author friend stealing from an old, billionaire widower. A woman loses her daughter to suicide while her architect husband, in the grips of Alzheimer’s years later, sits on a subway platform day after day, drawing hearts for all the young women he sees.Silcoff’s stories are sophisticated, detailed, and infused with humour, intelligence and touching emotional insights into the human condition.

The Stolen Weekend


Fern Britton - 2014
    Cornwall has been battered by the worst storms in living memory and the roof of her little cottage is in a terrible state. Her other half, the brooding Piran, isn’t being much help.The two women cook up a scheme to leave their Pendruggan men behind and get back to London for a weekend of blissful indulgence. But you know what they say about the best laid plans… Will Penny and Helen’s stolen weekend be everything they’ve dreamed of, or something else entirely?

Homeland / The Bean Trees / Pigs in Heaven


Barbara Kingsolver - 2001
    A Barbara Kingsolver Omnibus; Contains Homeland, The Bean Trees, Pigs In Heaven and 11 other short stories.

One Night Is All You Need: A Short Story


Kimberly G. Giarratano - 2015
    Unfortunately for Margot, her parents decide to extend their trip to the Florida Keys where they sign up for a kooky tour of historic Key West. Margot is horrified to have to traipse around hotter-than-Hades Old Town with her embarrassing parents until she meets Sam, an enigmatic local, who convinces her to embark on a spooky adventure that will inevitably lead to discovery and heartache. ONE NIGHT IS ALL YOU NEED is a 5,000-word YA short story that will appeal to both romance and mystery fans.

Listen, Just Once


A.R. Von - 2015
    Lizzie tries and tries to get the attention of her mother to get it to stop, to get her to help. She is also left with the duty of protecting her sister, Rose from the monster. A man who makes both girls shiver when he comes to babysit them. If only the one person who SHOULD be there to listen, WOULD just be there for them. If only her mother would listen, just once…

Player Brothers Box Set


Maddie Bandy - 2020
    For a limited time the book is under dollar or free on KU.

Visions of Distant Shores: An Andre Norton Collection


Andre Norton - 2010
    In most of Norton's works, alienated outsiders undertake a journey through which they realize their full potential. Many planets in the books are Earth-like places, where humans can live without special protection, and have extensive flora and fauna which are described in considerable detail and often have substantial bearing on the plot.On February 20, 2005, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, which had earlier honored her with its Grand Master Award in 1983, announced the creation of the Andre Norton Award, to be given each year for an outstanding work of fantasy or science fiction for the young adult literature market, beginning in 2006. Nobody today is telling better stories of straight-forward interstellar adventure.Included in this volume:Book One: Storm Over Warlock - Stranded on the alien world of Warlock, Shann Lantree's expedition camp has been wiped out by the Throgs, beings so alien that humans have yet to communicate with them. Lantree must quickly learn how to survive under harsh conditions while being chased by the Throgs -- and how to distinguish the real from the dreamed when he meets the mysterious Wyverns. A satisfying and mature novel which readers will seize upon if they want to enjoy a good adventure story...Book Two: Star Born - When the oppressive global dictatorship of Pax took over Earth they put a stop to space exploration. Still, a few rebels escaped in the sleeper ships to found free new colonies -- or perish in the attempt. Those few colonists that reached inhabitable worlds were cut off for centuries, and in that isolation and freedom they developed the mysterious mental powers that "civilization" had all but destroyed...Book Three: Star Hunter - Somewhere on the jungle world of Jumala, there was a man in hiding--a man whose mind had been reconditioned with another's brain pattern and for whom there was a fabulous reward. Star Hunter is a thrill-packed account of that other-worldly game of hide-and-seek between a man who did not know all his own powers and an interstellar safari that sought something no man had a right to find...Book Four: Plague Ship - A fast-moving suspense tale, full of unusual detail and unexpected turns. Several highlights make the book really shine: the sunset gorp hunt on the reefs of an oily sea; a raid on an asteroid's emergency station; and a landing in the Big Burn, resulting in an encounter with the mutant life-forms that reside there...Book Five: Voodoo Planet - Dane Thorson of the space-trader 'Solar Queen' found himself embroiled in a desperate battle of minds between the rational science of the spaceways and the hypnotic witchcraft of the mental wizard that ruled the Voodoo Planet...Book Six: The Gifts of Asti - Varta, the last priestess of Asti, lives alone with Lur, a telepath of the lizardfolk, in Asti's isolated mountain retreat. Decadent Memphir has long since drifted away from the austere paths of Asti, and now the barbarians of Klem are sacking the city, and the smoke of its burning drifts up to the temple...Book Seven: The People of the Crater - "Send the Black Throne to dust; conquer the Black Ones, and bring the Daughter from the Caves of Darkness." These were the tasks Garin must perform to fulfill the prophecy of the Ancient Ones--and establish his own destiny in this hidden land!This are the original and unabridged versions of these tales.

Strange Start


Gayle Katz - 2018
    An experimental medicine. A clinic full of feral patients.As a college freshman, I can’t wait for my first day of class. But when my routine health exam turns into a medical emergency, my dreams become a nightmare.And as my past tumbles back into the present, I’m horrified when patients devolve into animals and attack the medical staff. Desperate to find my way back to consciousness and safety, my anxiety holds tight and doesn’t go away.Will my life go back to normal, or are these terrors here forever?Strange Start is the short story prequel that portends the catastrophic zombie apocalypse to come in the Jane Zombie Chronicles. Reading this hair-raising, first-hand account of a brave survivor reveals the soul-stirring plight of those caught in the epicenter of the madness.Sink your teeth into Strange Start now!

Cool Water (Juliet in August)


Dianne Warren - 2010
    Situated on the edge of the Little Snake sand hills, Juliet and its inhabitants are caught in limbo between a century — old promise of prosperity and whatever lies ahead.But the heart of the town beats in the rich and overlapping stories of its people: the foundling who now owns the farm his adoptive family left him; the pregnant teenager and her mother, planning a fairytale wedding; a shy couple, well beyond middle age, struggling with the recognition of their feelings for one another; a camel named Antoinette; and the ubiquitous wind and sand that forever shift the landscape. Their stories bring the prairie desert and the town of Juliet to vivid and enduring life.This wonderfully entertaining, witty and deeply felt novel brims with forgiveness as its flawed people stumble towards the future.