Book picks similar to
In Search of the Castaways; Or, the Children of Captain Grant by Julies Verne
classics
historical-fiction
tbr
adventure
Gallagher’s Prize: An Historical Adventure Novel in the Age of Sail (Gallagher's Age of Sail Adventures Book 1)
Joseph O'Loughlin - 2015
How did America prevail against such odds? With ships, guns and the fierce desire for freedom that lived in the hearts of American sailors. Many of these men were not even Americans yet. Some came from Ireland, including Jack Gallagher. “Gallagher's Prize” begins in southern Ireland when English law breaks up an Irish Catholic family's farmland and a young man longs for the sea. During his many adventures, Jack visits Portsmouth (England), Dublin, Tenerife, Recife, Boston and New Orleans. He learns about square sailing, naval gunnery and ship’s tactics, makes interesting new friends and acquaintances, repairs long-standing enmity with his brother, rescues his family from debt, defeats a powerful and dysfunctional adversary, and experiences sex and love.
The Cowboys
William Dale Jennings - 1971
Will Anderson, a flinty old rancher, has a huge herd of cattle ripe for market when his regular hands, inflamed by gold fever, desert him. In desperation, he hires the only "men" available for the perilous 400 mile drive - a pack of scraggly schoolboys. Through skill and harsh discipline, Wil Anderson whips them from greenhorns into seasoned cowhands. But before the long drive is over, the boys discover that the price they must pay for manhood is a terrible one- murder and revenge! the stunning, heartbreaking climax of this extraordinary story will surprise you - and perhaps even sock you.
The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened
Don Robertson - 1977
But only in one direction—from simple to complicated. When he was nine, Morris Bird III learned the meaning of bravery. Now, at seventeen, he's on the verge of adulthood . . . and he's fallen in love. But it's 1952 and the Korean War hangs over his head like a dangling sword—and his prickly, complicated relationship with his cold and silent father has never been satisfactorily resolved. When Morris's own mortality stares him in the face, he learns what it truly means to become a man. The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened is the final book in Don Robertson's classic trilogy featuring one of the most endearing characters in American literature.
One of Her Own: A Gemi Kittredge Mystery, Book 1
Shawn McGuire - 2015
That was upsetting enough, but then she realizes she knows her. Heleena was a member of her gym.Gemi doesn’t trust cops. They failed to help her in the past, so even though they assure her they’re on the case now, she’s not so sure. Armed with physical ability of being the top ranked MMA fighter on the island and a passion for helping vulnerable women and children, Gemi sets out on her own to hunt down Heleena’s killer. But as she gets closer to uncovering the truth, Gemi’s deepest fears rise to the surface. If she’s right about who the killer is, nowhere in her world is safe.
Four Sisters
Val Wood - 2019
Matty has had to care for her three younger sisters ever since their mother’s death ten years ago. She and the girls’ beloved father have worked hard to keep the family together and now it’s time to celebrate as Matty turns eighteen. But their joy is short-lived when tragedy suddenly strikes and their father disappears on his way to London. The sisters have no way of knowing what has happened to him – only that he hasn’t returned home. With little money left they’re now forced to battle life’s misfortunes alone…
Where Butterflies Dream (Exit Unicorns, #5)
Cindy Brandner - 2020
The map is worn at the folds--sometimes right through--and so place names are missing first letters or last or have a hole through the middle. We carry those maps with us always, and this map is mine--an island on the edge of the world and beyond it a place of dragons and sunken cities with bells that still ring a thousand years on... So begins Where Butterflies Dream, the fifth book in the award-winning Exit Unicorns series. The story opens in the winter of 1978 when Casey Riordan returns from three years in exile to find the world he left behind has changed. With little knowledge of his past, he fears the secrets which might well bring danger to his family, and the question he must answer for himself--whether a man can ever truly return home when he is no longer the man he once was. Pamela Riordan has grieved her lost husband for three long years but has forged a new life for herself in his absence. Still scarred from the violence which has so recently visited her, she wants only to keep her family safe and to find an oasis of peace in which to raise them. But in Northern Ireland peace always comes at a price. Jamie Kirkpatrick is forced to deal with the ghosts of his past in order to save his present, and the fragile happiness he has only just found. Casey's return forces all three to confront the ideas of what love means, what makes a family and how one copes with a history that weighs heavily upon the future. Even as they navigate the new territory of their personal lives, history keeps moving onward and all will be drawn into the the political maelstrom of the Irish Troubles. The storm will spread beyond the boundary of family to a new generation caught up in the tides of history, their fates rushing toward a merciless shore. Where Butterflies Dream is the story of a family, a people, a country and of that most mysterious territory of all--the geography of the human soul.
Samurai's Apprentice
David Walters - 2011
All this seems far removed from Kami, a boy who quietly goes about his everyday life in his farm village until one day he trips over the unconsious body of a warrior hidden in the long grass.That discovery will lead him on an adventure across the warring kingdoms, facing assassins and enemy soldiers as he journeys to the capital to face the new Shogun. Through his travels he aspires to become a samurai, and in his many challenges he eventually comes to understand what it means to be one.
The Devil's Brand: The Rider ~ Book One (The Rider Western Series 1)
Seth Nation - 2017
In the aftermath, Ethan Brody returns from the war to find everything he knows and loves reduced to nothing but ashes. Hell bent on revenge, he sets off to find the murderous gang, only to have them slip away. Losing his faith, he sets off on a life of bounty hunting, vowing to never again let justice go astray. "Alive" is no longer an option and in the process, the legend of the Rider is born. 1894: Oliver Kingston Dukes a man of remittance finds his way to the town of Adobe Wells, immediately becoming embroiled in the town's struggle with the wealthy and powerful Katy brothers. Enter the Rider, on the trail of the notorious bandit Hector Salazar. He joins Dukes and the townsfolk to take back the town once and for all, and perhaps...take back his own salvation.
Sisters
Kathleen Thompson Norris - 2004
"It can't be that marriage is the only--the only irrevocable thing If you had a partner that you couldn't go on with, you could come to SOME agreement You could make a sacrifice, but somehow you could end the association Peter," she said, earnestly, "when I think of marketing again--six chops and soup-meat and butter and baking powder--I feel sick When I think of unpacking the things I've washed and dusted for five years--the glass berry bowl that somebody gave us, and the eleven silver tea-spoons--I can't bear it "
Two Chalet School Girls in India
Priyadarshini Narendra - 2006
The Robin is also in need of a break, after losing her father earlier in the year. The visit will change their lives forever, and the friendships they make will have long-lasting repercussions. This is the book that Chalet School fans across the world have been waiting for. Elinor M. Brent-Dyer’s story of what happened when Joey Bettany and the Robin visited India was never published, and no trace of it remains. Readers seemed destined never to know the answers to questions ranging from how did Joey meet Erica Standish’s mother, to why Joey tore out the pictures from Mollie’s copy of Queechy? Now Priyadarshini Narendra has written her own version of the story, remaining as true to the Chalet School series as possible. Priyadarshini lives near Delhi, and has been a Chalet School collector since the age of six.With a foreword by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer’s biographer, Helen McClelland, explaining the history of the original book.
This Rough Ocean
Ann Swinfen - 2015
Bands of renegade soldiers and broken men roam the countryside, looting, burning and raping. In Parliament, former allies are torn apart after six years of bloody conflict. Will there be peace instead of war, or a military take-over of the country? John Swynfen, a rising young MP and one of the leaders of the moderate party, is working for peace, but only if safeguards can be established to protect Parliament and control the powers of the king. Ranged against him and his friends are Oliver Cromwell and his son-in-law Henry Ireton, intent on seizing power by the sword and destroying not only the monarchy but the elected government. Within a few weeks, London is occupied by Cromwell's army, parliamentary government is in ruins, the king is executed. And John Swynfen is a prisoner. Anne Swynfen travels home from Westminster to Staffordshire with her young children through a desperate winter. There, uncertain whether she will ever see her husband again, she takes charge of the large estate, where starvation looms due to bad harvests, and violent danger threatens from outlaws and the armies of both sides. While she struggles against prejudice to do a man's job, John is shot, beaten, shackled, humiliated and tortured. Tempted by golden promises if he recants, threatened with death if he does not, he tries to cling to his sanity and his beliefs. When he finally escapes, he begins a terrible journey home across war-torn England to find his wife. This is a story about keeping faith – many kinds of faith – in the face of terror, anguish and despair.
Falling Forward: A Woman's Journey West
Pat Benedict Jurgens - 2021
Louisa, the spirited eldest daughter of Herzig and Clara Steinbacher, has her whole life ahead of her. She is seventeen, and dreams of the "outside world" beyond her doorstep. But when Clara dies in childbirth, Louisa is suddenly thrust into adulthood-with the burden of her mother's responsibilities...and the care of her younger siblings. The only world she has ever known closes around her.Then Herzig, an elder in their strict Mennonite community, hires young, handsome Thomas to help on the farm. Thomas is hardworking, honest...and not of the Faith. But Louisa can't hide her growing feelings for him. Her choices set in motion a transformation she never expected. But at what cost?
The Travelers
Lee Hunnicutt - 2016
He is a veteran who served three years in the Army, two of those years in the 8th Special Forces Airborne. He has written two time travel books, “The Travelers” and “The Travelers Book 2”, that begin in 1970 Panama Canal Zone and end up in 1870 Colorado. What the readers are saying about “The Travelers”: Nicole – I loved this book! I was hooked from the get-go and could NOT put this down! I ate it up and could not wait after one adventure to move on to the next! Roger – This book is a movie waiting to happen. It has everything: lots of action, all sorts of special effects, evil cowboys, noble Indians, resourceful young people, a strong female protagonist, and even a touch of romance at the end. Annabella – A really good story that all ages might enjoy reading. It would make a great movie. I am a senior citizen and couldn't wait to see what happened next. All the characters were interesting. I would like a continuance of this book written. Elizabeth – I read this book twice and am waiting impatiently for a sequel. Not since Outlander have I enjoyed a book more. If you like time travelers, adventure and a great story this is the book for you. Lou – Enjoyed the book. An entertaining trip. Vivian – I started slowly on this book, sort of trying to work out whether this was my kind of story. The further I got into it, the more difficult it was to take a break from it. When I turned the last page, there was an immediate "Oh, no!" moment. I couldn't believe there was no more left of the book. I wanted more! This was a well-researched book...well written, and well worth the read for any age from young teenager to adult.
Deadly Deadly
M. Vigna - 2013
Due to a technical glitch you must include the author name to search this book. Title only will not bring it up.<br><br>Deadly Deadly is an exciting, larger than life epic that takes place during the growth of our nation westward that details the hardship encountered on a very special trail drive in the 1800s. Don’t let the cover fool you; this is a story for the more mature reader. This exciting novel tells a truly original story among a backdrop of harsh and extreme conditions. Crafted with an enormous passion, this amazing story pits an eclectic cast of characters against the unforgiving elements and the evils of men. A one-of-a-kind story, readers cannot afford to pass up.<br><br> Get lost in this western epic of adversity, despair, and triumph. This story revolves around the deep bond that is established after a young man, alone in the world, discovers a newborn Texas Longhorn bull and rescues him from deaths grip. The bull calf eventually captures his heart and an inseparable bond is formed. As the bull matures, due to his lethal seven-foot horn spread, he eventually becomes know as Deadly. Their unique relationship also grows into a working partnership and together they become an indomitable force, which will be a blessing for a beautiful ranch owner who ultimately depends on them as her only hope for survival after she hires them to drive her extremely valuable and “new” to the America, Herefords, from California to Texas. With the fate of her ranch in their hands, they set forth on a dangerous journey full of extreme wilderness, nature’s wrath, injuries, and illness in order to get these prized cattle to their distant destination.<br><br> With a Texan Longhorn bull as one of its main characters and events unfolding at a thrilling pace, Deadly Deadly stands out against the homogenous backdrop of today’s fiction with a character-driven story that is as gripping as it is heartfelt, and sure to hook readers within the first few pages. Whether it’s the loveable characters, unique relationships, budding romance, or facing challenging hazards both natural and manmade, this novel possesses something for everyone. This engrossing narrative uses a mesmerizing story to pepper in useful survival skills and actual training techniques used with herd animals.