Book picks similar to
7000 Miles to Freedom: From Refugee to Red Carpet by Naz Meknat
family-dynamics
fanatics
triggers
turkey
BIG HAIR AND FLYING COWS
Dolores Wilson - 2014
To say the least. She calls Sweet Meadow, Georgia, home, where she works for her father doing auto repairs. She also drives the tow-truck, although Sweet Meadow's rather colorful denizens tend to treat Bertie more like the local, free taxi service. You know, someone has to get to a doctor's appointment or pick something up at the dry cleaners. Bertie's favorite day of the week is Friday, when she leaves the wrecker with her father for the whole weekend and joins her friends at the Dew Drop Inn for a night of dancing. Her best friend, Mary Lou, sometimes fixes her up with dubious dates, although Bertie has to remind her friend not to tease her hair too high for those occasions. Like the time when they went to Carrie Sue's open house, and a ceramic cow with angel wings hanging from a ceiling fan locked its hooves into Bertie's big hair and refused to let go. She had to wear it all night, dangling chain and all. Bertie's nearly perfect life is about to take a downhill turn, however. It starts when her landlord, Pete, currently a resident in a nearby nursing home, starts showing up at her house. In his birthday suit. A very badly wrinkled birthday suit. And then she goes to her mailbox, a rubber large mouth bass, and finds a notice from the zoning commission saying she can no longer park the wrecker in her driveway. The notice is signed by George Bigham. But when she goes to the courthouse to take care of her little problem, it is only to discover George Bigham is deceased. And Mary Lou's pregnancy test just came up positive. Can it get any worse? In a word... yes.
Weaning Made Easy Baby-Led and Purees Your Way
Rana Conway - 2011
Smokey's Turmoil (Satan's Anarchy MC, #7)
Erin Osborne - 2021
I’m living in my car because I don’t want to waste money on a motel. Most of the towns I’ve been in are only a place to crash for a few days and make some money before moving on. It all changes when one girl decides to befriend me. Now, I’m living in Smokey’s apartment while he stays at the clubhouse for the most part. Still, I’m klutzy as hell and that’s the one thing I can’t do anything about. Have you ever spilled several plates of food on a biker? I have. It’s not fun and I’m scared to death every time people sit in my section.Things change when I find out my cousin is living in the same town. Now, I have a reason to stay in Shadowville. I take her in and raise her as my own. Then, a little boy absolutely captures my attention, and he needs someone to love on him and take him in too. That’s when everything changes. Again.SmokeyI don’t want an ol’ lady or children. My only focus is the club and what we’re doing. However, I can’t stop myself from helping Jasmine. There’s a pull between us and I have no problem exploring it. As long as she understands it will never lead to anything important between us. Nothing is ever long-term with any woman who spends time in my bed.When kids become involved, I can’t handle it. There is no way in hell I want to be in the same home as Jasmine and the kids. My past rears it’s ugly head and I make the worst decision of my life. One I might not be able to come back from. No matter what happens, it’s not just between Jasmine and me. There are other people to consider, and I’ve never had to do that before.
Cruel Beautiful World
Caroline Leavitt - 2016
It's 1969, and sixteen-year-old Lucy is about to run away with a much older man to live off the grid in rural Pennsylvania, a rash act that will have vicious repercussions for both her and her older sister, Charlotte. As Lucy's default caretaker for most of their lives, Charlotte's youth has been marked by the burden of responsibility, but never more so than when Lucy's dream of a rural paradise turns into a nightmare.Cruel Beautiful World examines the intricate, infinitesimal distance between seduction and love, loyalty and duty, and explores what happens when you're responsible for things you cannot make right.
Forty Years in a Day
Mona Rodriguez - 2013
The story begins in Italy, 1900. After years of torment and neglect, Victoria and her four small children immigrate to Hell's Kitchen, New York, to escape her alcoholic, abusive husband. On the day they leave, he tragically dies, but she does not learn of his death for several years—a secret that puts many lives on hold. Quickly, they realize America's streets are not paved with gold, and the limits of human faith and stamina are tested time and time again. Poverty, illness, death, kidnapping, and the reign of organized crime are just some of the crosses they bear. Victoria's eldest son, Vincenzo, is the sole surviving member of the family and shares a gut-wrenching account of their lives with his daughter during a visit to Ellis Island on his ninetieth birthday. He explains how the lives of he and his siblings have been secretly intertwined with an infamous Irish mob boss and ends his unsettling disclosure with a monumental request that leaves Clare speechless. Forty Years in a Day is layered with the struggles and successes of each family member and defines the character of an era. Follow the Montanaro family through several decades, and stand in the shoes of a past generation.____________________"Told by two with the eye and instinct of keen storytellers who know exactly when to divulge, when to pause and hold onto secrets and twists. Readers will be exhausted and inspired from the journey, and wouldn't have it any other way!"-The Review"You will have a hard time putting this book down. It is amazing! This emotional story is told beautifully, with vivid descriptions, and it’s full of hope and full of dreamers. Read this book" -Overstuffed Princess Reviews"The narrative, setting of the scenes, the tone, characters, dialogue, were all wonderful. All of these drew me into the story from the first page to the last. I was a part of the story!" -Impressions in Ink Reviews"I loved the way the authors were able to create such a vivid recount of those times and create a story which is so multi-dimensional with many characters and views."-A Life Through Books Reviews"The writing is so good, the characters jump off the page and feel so real. This is a wonderful, yet intensely emotional story." -Must Read Faster Reviews"Wow, these authors really did an amazing job of bringing the 1900’s to life through one family and several generations." -My Reading Addiction Reviews"The imagery and detail really took me back to the time (1900's). [I] really did find myself connected to the characters and everything that happened to them." -Texas Book Nook Reviews"With a surprise twist added to the mix, Forty Years in a Day is an unforgettable book and a testimony to the perseverance of the human spirit." -The True Book Addict Reviews"This book is easy to read in that the writing is beautiful and the story plot interesting." -Shut Up and Read Review"I loved the story. I loved the tone and the way it sounded just like someone telling their family story to their children. It is a lovely book. I especially enjoyed how the Epilogue tied up loose ends and even revealed a few family secrets." -A Book Geek Reviews"A moving family saga with an incredible and entirely unexpected twist, Forty Years in a Day is a pleasantly emotional story. The format may have left me wanting, but the plot is one of those most creative I’ve ever encountered, debut or otherwise." -Flashlight Commentary Reviews"A good read that shows, once again, that we are all the same, all have our hidden family secrets and all have to go through life dealing with them." -Bookpleasures Reviews"The authors depict the daily existence within the confines of poverty and menial job opportunities quite well. The forty-year time period is depicted with excellent word-imagery, and with sensitivity to the family situations of assimilation and identity." -Book Diva Reviews and News"Forty Years In A Day so brilliantly illuminates the hardships and tribulations of a family coming to America in the 1900's. " -Laura Terry, author of Intertwined"The stunning array of characters that parade through the twists and turns of several generations is amazing. " -Patrick O’Sheen, author of Dreamer
When God Looked the Other Way: An Odyssey of War, Exile, and Redemption
Wesley Adamczyk - 2004
Standing in the shadow of the Holocaust, this episode of European history is often overlooked. Wesley Adamczyk's gripping memoir, When God Looked the Other Way, now gives voice to the hundreds of thousands of victims of Soviet barbarism.Adamczyk was a young Polish boy when he was deported with his mother and siblings from their comfortable home in Luck to Soviet Siberia in May of 1940. His father, a Polish Army officer, was taken prisoner by the Red Army and eventually became one of the victims of the Katyn massacre, in which tens of thousands of Polish officers were slain at the hands of the Soviet secret police. The family's separation and deportation in 1940 marked the beginning of a ten-year odyssey in which the family endured fierce living conditions, meager food rations, chronic displacement, and rampant disease, first in the Soviet Union and then in Iran, where Adamczyk's mother succumbed to exhaustion after mounting a harrowing escape from the Soviets. Wandering from country to country and living in refugee camps and the homes of strangers, Adamczyk struggled to survive and maintain his dignity amid the horrors of war.When God Looked the Other Way is a memoir of a boyhood lived in unspeakable circumstances, a book that not only illuminates one of the darkest periods of European history but also traces the loss of innocence and the fight against despair that took root in one young boy. It is also a book that offers a stark picture of the unforgiving nature of Communism and its champions. Unflinching and poignant, When God Looked the Other Way will stand as a testament to the trials of a family during wartime and an intimate chronicle of episodes yet to receive their historical due. “Adamczyk recounts the story of his own wartime childhood with exemplary precision and immense emotional sensitivity, presenting the ordeal of one family with the clarity and insight of a skilled novelist. . . . I have read many descriptions of the Siberian odyssey and of other forgotten wartime episodes. But none of them is more informative, more moving, or more beautifully written than When God Looked the Other Way.”—From the Foreword by Norman Davies, author of Europe: A History and Rising ’44: The Battle for Warsaw “A finely wrought memoir of loss and survival.”—Publishers Weekly “Adamczyk’s unpretentious prose is well-suited to capture that truly awful reality.” —Andrew Wachtel, Chicago Tribune Books “Mr. Adamczyk writes heartfelt, straightforward prose. . . . This book sheds light on more than one forgotten episode of history.”—Gordon Haber, New York Sun “One of the most remarkable World War II sagas I have ever read. It is history with a human face.”—Andrew Beichman, Washington Times
If Only I Could Tell You
Hannah Beckerman - 2019
Her two grown-up daughters, Jess and Lily, are estranged, and her two teenage granddaughters have never been allowed to meet. A secret that echoes back thirty years has splintered the family in two, but is also the one thing keeping them connected.As tensions reach breaking point, the irrevocable choice that one of them made all those years ago is about to surface. After years of secrets and silence, how can one broken family find their way back to each other?
Deserter
Shannon Myers - 2019
I refuse to follow anyone's rules—I own this town. They might not see me, but my club controls everything... including her. I took Daddy's little princess and defiled her to send a message. Now, I want to keep her down here in the dirt forever.She's crazy not to run.Around here, there's no right or wrong. I'm the judge, jury, and executioner and god help any fool who tries to lay a hand on what's mine. If you're looking for a hero, you're in the wrong place. Please be aware that Deserter is not recommended for readers under the age of eighteen, as it contains strong language, sexual situations, drug use, and graphic violence.
Pieces of Us
Claudia Y. Burgoa - 2021
Tragedy bonded us forever. That’s where I met Ethan. Both of us had bad childhoods.We knew all about unrequited love. You know what they say, misery loves company. We shared firsts. We shared nights.One of us fell in love. It wasn’t him. After my world crumbled and the band broke up I spiraled out of control. Ethan Killion (Kill) became the CEO of a communications conglomerate. I...I’m trying to stay sober.It’s so hard when I don’t have a future. It’s harder when the guy who makes me want to be better is engaged. He’s marrying someone who can’t understand him.One call from him becomes a lot more. He wants to remember what we once had.I desperately desire him.Unrequited love can destroy you. I know. Things get dark between us. Now there’s no stopping it.I don’t care if I am shattered into pieces. I just need one last time. The first book in the Second Chance Sinners duet will leave you with a cliffhanger that might make you lose your breath.
Til Death We Do Part, Too
Bruno Beaches - 2021
She seems wonderful, and it is love at first sight, and they marry quickly. However, not all is rosy in the garden, and a lifetime’s baggage rears its ugly head. Pablo’s ex-wife re-establishes contact with him, and he desperately seeks to exorcise the demons of that betrayal and divorce, but he gets drawn into a double life. Then, one shocking day, Hellion goes to work, and inexplicably, and without warning, fails to return home. Now he has to try to understand another devastating, bewildering calamity.Til Death We Do Part, Too is a story that scrutinises the impact of unfinished business, baggage, emotional damage, and lingering love. It balances heart-breaking loss with resilience, disorientation with hope, and desperation and bitterness with true enduring love and understanding. There is much insight into the reality of relationships and the frailty of the human psyche. It is told with immense depth of feeling, humour, and faith.
The Comfort Of A Thug 2: A Turned Out By His Hood Mentality Spin Off
Diamond D. Johnson - 2021
Blake Brothers
Hope Ford - 2021
The Blake Brothers are three brothers that know what they want and will do anything to get it! Each story is steamy, sweet, and short. Be ready! I'm sure you're going to find your next book boyfriend in either Jason, Jack, or Jared.
If I Say YesAn Alpha Tattooed Man and Curvy Woman Romance
ChelseyHe made me fall in love with him. I couldn't stop it.He's a professional baseball player, with women falling all over him... but he chose me, the plus-size woman in the stands.But the day of the wedding, his true colors come out and with my heart broke in two, I escape and leave him standing at the altar.JasonI knew the first time I saw her that she would be the woman I'd marry.In a whirlwind, we set the date.But with a case of misunderstandings and mistaken identity, she leaves for our honeymoon... single.I do what any man in love would do... I follow her - and make her mine.
Love Like OursAn Alpha Older Man and Curvy Younger Woman Romance
EmilyI met him for the first time and it felt like I've known him forever.When we're thrown together on vacation because of a misunderstanding, well, it just gives me more time to fall in love.Guarding my heart should be my number one priority... because he's leaving in a week.JackI never dreamed that I would want to settle down.But from the first moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was special.It may take some convincing, and a change in my ways, But I'm going to make her mine.
Never Been Kissed
KrissyFour years ago, he was the nerd in high school. I was the captain of the cheerleading squad. I liked him then, but nothing ever came of it.When I see him again, all those old feelings come up and I know that I won't let him go again.JaredI've followed her for four years... from afar.I've taken care of her, even though she doesn't know it.When I need her help, I try to prove to her exactly how I feel about her.But when she finds out how hard I worked to make this happen, will she forgive me?
The Arrivals
Meg Mitchell Moore - 2011
It's early summer when Ginny and William's peaceful life in Vermont comes to an abrupt halt. First, their daughter Lillian arrives, with her two children in tow, to escape her crumbling marriage. Next, their son Stephen and his pregnant wife Jane show up for a weekend visit, which extends indefinitely when Jane ends up on bed rest. When their youngest daughter Rachel appears, fleeing her difficult life in New York, Ginny and William find themselves consumed again by the chaos of parenthood -- only this time around, their children are facing adult problems. By summer's end, the family gains new ideas of loyalty and responsibility, exposing the challenges of surviving the modern family -- and the old adage, once a parent, always a parent, has never rung so true.
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Gregg Olsen - 2019
Until now.For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother’s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders.