Book picks similar to
McGowan's Call by Rob Smith


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literary-fiction
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Electricity


Victoria Glendinning - 1995
    'Electricity' is the story of a spirited, sensual young woman's adventures in 1880s, recounted with wit, candour and an intimacy of closely observed domestic and technical detail.

Say No More


N. Gemini Sasson - 2014
     When five-year old Hunter McHugh witnesses the farming accident that takes the life of his father, Cam, he stops talking -- to everyone except his Australian Shepherd, Halo. Unable to cope, Hunter runs away and gets lost in the Kentucky wilderness. It's up to Halo to find him. Just as she's about to give up, Halo gets help from an unlikely source -- Cam's ghost. Halo is no ordinary dog. Not only can she see ghosts, she can talk to them, too. If only she could tell Hunter that death doesn't mean an end to being around the ones we love, maybe she could help him find his voice again. Unfortunately, she may never have the chance. Dognapped by the man who threatens to destroy the only family she has ever known, Halo must escape and find her way home -- hundreds of miles away. Say No More is a heartfelt story of love, hope, and the enduring bond between a boy afraid to speak and a dog that can't.

Down from Cascom Mountain


Ann Joslin Williams - 2011
    Many of his stories were set in the fictional town of Leah, New Hampshire, and on nearby Cascom Mountain, locations that closely mirrored the landscape of the Williamses' real hometown. With Down from Cascom Mountain, Ann Joslin Williams proves herself a formidably talented novelist in her own right, while paying tribute to her father by setting her debut novel in the same fictional world-the New Hampshire he imagined and that she has always known. In Down from Cascom Mountain, newlywed Mary Hall brings her husband to settle in the rural New Hampshire of her youth to fix up the house she grew up in and to reconnect to the land that defined her, with all its beauty and danger. But on a mountain day hike, she watches helplessly as her husband falls to his death. As she struggles with her sudden grief, in the days and months that follow, Mary finds new friendships-with Callie and Tobin, teenagers on the mountain club's crew, and with Ben, the gentle fire watchman. All are haunted by their own losses, but they find ways to restore hope in one another, holding firmly as they navigate the rugged terrain of the unknown and unknowable, and loves lost and found.Praise for The Woman in the Woods : "The Woman in the Woods marks the debut of a wise and beautiful voice in American fiction, one that will stand as a powerful new presence in our literary landscape." -Julie Orringer, author of How to Breathe Underwater and The Invisible Bridge

All the Lovely Children


Andrew Nance - 2018
    His language is crisp and fresh; his world-building, authentic; and his pacing, just fast enough to keep readers at the edge of their seats but slow enough to let them enjoy the ride. He has crafted a compelling, engrossing novel with more than one scene of gritty-realism that will prickle the back of your neck. --Southern Literary ReviewCharly Bloom’s life took a wrong turn that has left her alone and frustrated. When she gets a call from an old flame, she returns to her hometown to investigate the disappearances of four children. The abductions are eerily similar to a set of previous crimes. Two decades ago, Charly and her two friends decided to play amateur detectives and help find a girl who was stolen from her home. Then, another girl went missing. Clues overlooked by the inept sheriff left only one child to survive: Charly. She managed to fight back and kill the Snatcher. Or so everyone thought… Is the Snatcher back, or is there a copycat? Charly must face her past and her own personal demons in a race against time to save the latest victim.

Making Arrangements


Ferris Robinson - 2016
    Reeling from shock, Lang realizes all of her perfect arrangements (from the caramel cake in the freezer for his first Christmas without her to love letters for his first anniversary alone) are in utter disarray. A mute stray dog posts itself on her front porch and a grammar-butchering fashion plate posts herself in Lang's kitchen, regularly revealing too much information. Lillian, Lang's long-lost mother, reappears for the funeral and is as obnoxious as ever. Her son, Teddy, has his own ideas of how she should manage her life, and they don't include cavorting about with a veterinarian who resembles Wimpy. Lang's granddaughter is a bright spot in her life, and Lang can't imagine life without her.With her historical family estate in jeopardy, Lang discovers her husband wasn't as perfect as she thought. Is she strong enough to keep her husband's secret from destroying her life?

Lost Sister


Ben Cheetham - 2018
    A trip to the cinema turns into a nightmare for Anna and her little sister Jessica, when two men throw thirteen-year-old Jessica into the back of a van and speed away.The years tick by... Tick, tick... The police fail to find Jessica and her name fades from the public consciousness... Tick, tick... But every time Anna closes her eyes she’s back in that terrible moment, lurching towards Jessica, grabbing for her. So close. So agonizingly close.... Tick, tick... Now in her thirties, Anna has no career, no relationship, no children. She’s consumed by one purpose – finding Jessica, dead or alive.Detective Jim Monahan has a little black book with forty-two names in it. Jim’s determined to put every one of those names behind bars, but his investigation is going nowhere fast. Then a twenty-year-old clue brings Jim and Anna together in search of a shadowy figure known as Spider. Who is Spider? Where is Spider? Does Spider have the answers they want? The only thing Jim and Anna know is that the victims Spider entices into his web have a habit of ending up missing or dead.

Cities on Fire: A Family's Apocalypse


A.J. Newman - 2017
    There have been nuclear and EMP attacks on the USA and most of the world. The Apocalypse has caught the world by surprise. Cities and countries are on fire. The USA has been reduced to burned-out cities, the grid is down and society has reverted backward 150 years. Food and drinkable water are scarce. The US Government is no longer able to help or protect its citizens. Millions are dying. In “Cities on Fire,” several of the Karr family members have to travel long distances to reach the family bugout location and encounter death and destruction along the way. Could you walk hundreds of miles in a short time to get the jump on the hordes of people flocking from the cities to the countryside to find food? Could you kill to protect your family from criminals? Worse yet could you kill good God-fearing people who would kill you or your family just to get food to feed their starving family? The Karrs live through these situations and get stronger day by day. The Karr family has a mixture of old school preppers, conservatives, and liberals that make for an interesting blend of personalities, opinions, and sometimes even volatility. They are able to hate the sin but always love the sinner who disagrees with them. They have each other’s backs through thick and thin.

A Look into the the Life and Love of Severus Snape: An Essay


Amber Vilate - 2013
    Rowling's popular character, Severus Snape, and the roles he played in the Harry Potter series.

Fate of Kings


Robert Ryan - 2018
    The Four Horsemen ride. And ancient prophecy rushes to fulfillment… Gil will be king one day – if his enemies don’t kill him first. To protect himself, he learns what he must. History teaches him to understand people. The warrior arts offer protection against assassins. And the secrets of the mystic armor him against dark spells. His enemies are strong, and they have hated him since before he was born. The blood in his veins makes it so. His great ancestor defeated them in ages past, and he seeks to discover his dangerous heritage. They seek to kill him before he fulfills his destiny. Ploys unfold, armies march and traps are set. Prophecies vie with secrets hidden in the past. It is a time of battle, a time of chaos, and a time where gambles could triumph – or destroy worlds. Gil must defeat the Four Horsemen, embodiments of ultimate evil, or the sorceress who commands them will gather a vast horde and begin a bloody trail of world-spanning conquest… This boxed set contains the entire Son of Sorcery trilogy.

The Billionaires Box Set


Claire Adams - 2018
    Too bad she's not interested...yet. Can Maddox win her over without spilling too many of his secrets in the process, or will his desire for her have him baring all?Billionaire's Vegas NightHow does happily ever after begin? While you can no doubt think up a million romantic ways for it to get started, getting sloppy drunk and passing out probably isn't one of them. Which is why Luna is so mortified to find herself waking up in her boss' bed in Vegas, her memory of the night before little more than sporadic flashes.While she is embarrassed, her billionaire boss, Gabriel, is unfazed. Unlike Luna, he remembers the night before--including their wedding, officiated by Blues Brothers impersonators. No, for Gabriel, everything is just fine. Until the police come knocking at the door of his hotel suite.And why are they knocking on the door of his hotel suite? Because not one, but two of his ex-girlfriends are in the same hotel as him--and they are both dead. Strangled to death during the night. And he is their number one suspect.And his alibi can't remember a thing.Will Luna and Gabriel be able to carve a path together?Billionaire's Best WomanShe didn't expect to fall in love with her best friend...On paper, Parker's life is amazing. His tech company is worth billions, he works just a few hours a day, calls the Florida Keys home, and has a smoking hot girlfriend. Sounds pretty sweet.And that doesn't even take into account that his best friend, Sienna, helps him keep his life both fun and grounded. But it is with her that things go a little sideways. He has felt himself attracted to her for some time, and she has long carried a torch for him, but neither let each other know. Is it too late?Billionaire BeastAfter Billionaire Aiden Walker lost his entire family in a tragic plane crash, he wanted nothing more than to be left alone, so much that he fired his entire staff.He mourned his loss by drowning himself in booze at a small bar on the wrong side of town, where the local bartender became his only friend.So just when he thinks life couldn't get any worse, one of the families involved in the tragic accident is determined to ruin him with a lawsuit that could take his sprawling Savannah estate.The two fall into bed, but will her lies destroy any chance for love once Aiden learns who she is?Billionaire's ValentineDeclan needs a new assistant because of his poor behavior. But as luck would have it, Emmi has also recently been chased off by a badly behaved boss.

When The Jaguar Sleeps


J.A. Kalis - 2015
    A desperate struggle for survival. A hidden Inca treasure. Ruthless grave robbers.Ecuador. A dream holiday turns into a nightmare when two men are stranded in the Amazon rain forest after a plane crash. With no hope of being rescued, they decide that their only chance of survival is to find their way back to civilization. And so they set off on a daring journey, struggling through the dense underbrush, totally unprepared for the dangers that lie ahead. When they stumble upon some ancient ruins where fabulous treasures might be hidden, it all goes wrong again … Looking for a fast-moving adventure thriller you won't be able to put down until you finish it? Then try this one.

Barney: A novel (about a guy called Barney) (Barney Conroy Comedy Book 1)


Guy Sigley - 2016
     Meet Barney. He’s an average guy in his mid-thirties with questionable social skills and progressive germophobia. He likes routine. He likes to keep his head down. Life’s pretty safe…until he’s spectacularly fired from a ten-year public service career. Desperate to find a new job, Barney lands a private sector role with a struggling communications firm that has a suspicious lack of clients and is run by a man who wears Hawaiian shirts to staff meetings. The one shining light is Gloria. Fierce, devastatingly intelligent and with a brutal sense of humor, Barney is mesmerized from the moment they meet. To win Gloria’s heart, and his new team’s respect, Barney sets out to prove that he’s more than just a public service reject—even resurrecting a stand-up comedy career that hasn’t produced a laugh in more than a decade. But in trying to be everything he thinks they want, Barney is forced to question who it is he really wants to be. An offbeat comedy with echoes of The Rosie Project, this hilarious and heart-warming novel is a story about the masks we wear to impress others, and the freedom that comes with just being ourselves.

The Moon and Beyond


John E. Siers - 2012
    So smart, in fact, that they've figured out how gravity works. More importantly, they've figured out how to make it work as a propulsion system. Of course, they are going to tell the world about it. Eventually. But first, they have a few things to do, like build a fleet of gravity-powered spacecraft and establish a permanent settlement on the Moon... assuming they can keep the U.S. government from figuring out what they are doing, shutting them down, and putting them all under arrest. Welcome to the Lunar Free State...

The Champ


Daniel Martin Eckhart - 2012
    At the tender age of one hundred and fifteen he's the oldest man alive in the United States of America. His body is failing him gloriously, his legs will barely carry him, his quivering lips and dentures turn his words into meaningless babble... and yet he has the clearest brain and the brightest eyes you'll ever come across. His steps may be tiny, but his story is epic. His words may be few, but his mind goes beyond your wildest imagination. Join Wilber on a most unlikely journey and be prepared - you just may discover yourself along the way. Critical acclaim: "Eckhart has created a wonderfully warm and eccentric main character in 115 year old Wilber Patorkin." - "A story of friendship, mortality, and good vs. evil, it was so good I couldn't put it down." - "A crossover between Amélie Poulain and Benjamin Button" - "The style is a compelling mix between Stephen King & JD Salinger."

The Beggar Sisters


Rosie Darling - 2018
    When she lost the printing business that was their livelihood soon after they had lost both their mother and father, they also lost the home in which they had both been born. Relegated to a life in a grey tenement, and long hours of Ada working in the Bow match factory and little Emma selling wares on the cold, unaccommodating streets of east London, the sisters had nothing but each other. What they shared now was a life without warmth, a life of disadvantage, a life where roast lamb and gravy was no more than a shared illusion, where Christmas was not a day apart from any other. And then Ada was forced to enter into a contract with a monster. Would he sell her to the highest bidder just as he had done to so many women before? What would become of little Emma if she were taken from her? Everett Floyd was known to be heartless. How was it that two young, vulnerable and innocent girls could melt his icy heart without even trying? In an age of misery where money distinguished people - and separated lives - could two very different worlds come together to heal the pain of the past and bring a new reality?