The Exotic and the Mundane


Joyce Dickens - 2018
    From the day they met, they’d been talking about “travelling more”, but in ten years they hadn’t advanced very far toward that dream and it had become more of a nagging dissatisfaction than an inspiring goal. Every time they returned from one of their brief yearly vacations, Joyce would spend weeks depressed, thinking there had to be a way to do more than this. They gradually came to the somewhat obvious realization that “travelling more” wasn’t just going to happen, they would need to decide what exactly they wanted, make a plan and commit to a lot of work. In early 2012, they made a decision to go all in on their travel dream, sell everything, and hit the road for an open-ended period of time.On March 31, 2013, they locked up their house one last time and left on a tour that would take them to 23 countries and 23 U.S. states over the next 14 months. This book is the chronicle of the first six months, spent in Central America and Africa, as they learned to slow down, look around and embrace wherever the heck they were. Alternately funny, frustrating and inspiring, their journey proves that anyone can travel more and that you don’t have to be rich, young or all that brave to get out and see the world.

Over and Out


James F. Jordan - 2013
    A first hand account of my tour of duty in Vietnam.

A Harvest of Sunflowers (The Sunflowers Trilogy #2)


Ruth Silvestre - 1998
    Local friendships and bonds of loyalty that she and her family formed during their gradual renovation of their once derelict farmhouse have now deepened. The children, both hers and her neighbours', are now adults and the close-knit community celebrates and prepares for the new generation. The wedding festivities and banquets are beautifully described in mouth-watering detail and the tastes and smells of Lot-et-Garonne seem to float from the page. An unforgettable and enriching story of Ruth and her family, and their continuing love for their home in the sunflowers.

Accused


Jack Parker - 2013
    But when the murder weapon shows up in his closet, he's forced to run. Strange phone calls from the true killer lead him to Seattle WA in order to find him and ask him why.

The Awakening


Amma Lee - 2016
    Trying to show everyone that she wasn’t weird, Lindsey made a goal to become more social and more confident. One day as she was walking home from school contemplating a plan to get friends, Lindsey hears one of her classmates, popular and pretty student Laurie, yelling at an unknown person. Overhearing their conversation, Lindsey learned that the two are waiting for someone to ‘awaken’ and save them from something. Curiosity takes over Lindsey and she decides to abandon her mission of making friends and takes on a new mission of finding out what Laurie is hiding. However, what Lindsey learned was something definitely out of a Harry Potter novel and Lindsey is ultimately the one who awakens to a world that she never thought existed.

32 Minutes


Zach Kraft - 2018
    Fielding an ICBM wasn't one of them... INAUGURATION DAY, IN THE NEAR FUTURE: A young and optimistic president-elect shivers in the cold, waiting for the ordeal to be over. Little does she realize, the ordeal hasn't even begun. Shortly after she takes the oath, the proceedings are interrupted with shocking news: the U.S. military has detected the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The death toll, should the weapon strike the United States: upwards of 10 million people. Her advisers warn her that there are rules to this game, ones that must be followed if there's to be any hope of avoiding global nuclear war. Adding to the problem: buried in a bunker, and surrounded by career professionals with agendas of their own, she has no idea what to believe about the conditions unfolding topside. Soon she learns that the loneliest person on the planet is the one who's trying to save billions from annihilation. An explosive, fast-paced novella from the author of The Counting series.

Conroy's First Command (K Company 2)


Robert Broomall - 1994
    The station is in a quiet area, and the company commander thinks this will be a good opportunity for Lt. Tom Conroy ("K Company") to exercise his first independent command. Tom worries about whether his men, hard cases like Link Hayward, will obey him. Then Indians attack the station, and Tom's worries get a whole lot more serious.

At the Coalface: Part 1 of 3: The memoir of a pit nurse


Joan Hart - 2015
    This is the memoir of Joan, who started nursing in the 1940s and whose experiences took her into the Yorkshire mining pits and through the tumult of the 1984-85 miners’ strike.Joan Hart always knew what she wanted to do with her life. Born in South Yorkshire in 1932, she started her nursing training when she was 16, the youngest age girls could do so at the time. She continued working after she married and her work took her to London and Doncaster, caring for children and miners.When she took a job as a pit nurse in Doncaster in 1974, she found that in order to be accepted by the men under her care, she would have to become one of them. Most of the time rejecting a traditional nurse’s uniform and donning a baggy miner’s suit, pit boots, a hardhat and a headlamp, Joan resolved always to go down to injured miners and bring them out of the pit herself.Over 15 years Joan grew to know the miners not only as a nurse, but as a confidante and friend. She tended to injured miners underground, rescued men trapped in the pits, and provided support for them and their families during the bitter miners’ strike which stretched from March 1984 to 1985.Moving and uplifting, this is a story of one woman’s life, marriage and work; it is guaranteed to make readers laugh, cry, and smile.

Man at Arms: The Battle of Poitiers (Sir John Hawkwood Book 2)


Griff Hosker - 2020
    

Lindsey's Angel (Cuyamaca Mountain Series, #1)


Katina Gavin - 2016
    Her husband’s death had broken her; her life for the past eight years had been void of emotion. Her family and her job as a Park Ranger were the only things that had kept her going, but sometimes that wasn’t enough. The peaceful mountains had recently been tainted with a double homicide that occurred not far from her cabin. Lindsey knew there would be an investigation, but she never thought the handsome DEA agent would ask her to be his guide. Angel Running Deer was working his last undercover assignment for the DEA. He wouldn't have taken the risks he did if he'd had a family. He had never been in a relationship with a woman, because his code wouldn’t allow it. Now he was ready to settle down and start a family, he just hoped it wouldn’t take ten years to find the right woman. The sizzle they both felt upon their first handshake could not be denied. Angel is certain he’s found the perfect woman. Lindsey feels the connection, but has doubts about the possibility of finding love for a second time in her young life. Strong subplots.

Forgiveness Unforgettable


Nikki Lee Brannon - 2015
    Take a walk into this riveting true story of terror,survival,faith and finally forgiveness as Nikki reveals explicit first-hand accounts of her memories.

The Pennwood Haunting


S.K. Zurcher - 2016
    Even the high cost of tuition can’t damper her enthusiasm. Luck continues to be on her side when she finds the perfect place to live, a beautiful house that is close to campus and within her meager budget.But when Shelly moves into the large Victorian house at 1020 Sycamore Lane, strange things begin to occur. Unexplained noises that wake her up at night and a flowery odor that fills her bedroom at odd times. When she sees a frightening apparition emerge from her basement, she finally concedes that it is not her imagination playing tricks on her. It isn’t long before Shelly realizes her dream of attending Pennwood has become a nightmare. She turns to the only person who can help, Dr. Larry Barnett, Pennwood University’s only parapsychologist. Together they embark on a journey to discover the identity of the spirit haunting Shelly’s house. But as the haunting escalates and events turn violent, it soon becomes apparent that it will take more than Shelly and Dr. Barnett to put the spirits at 1020 Sycamore Lane to rest.

Campbell Agency


Clara Kendrick - 2017
    Lots of suspense, mystery, and romance. No cliffhangers! Book One Gwen Grange doesn’t exist, as far as the world is concerned. She disappeared after her father was accused of horrendous crimes, and has been presumed dead. In reality, she’s simply living off the grid, surviving on her own. But when she comes across Jason O’Neil of Campbell’s Agency in the unlikeliest of places, she’ll be forced to come to terms with what happened to her family and become a functioning part of society once again. Book Two Bridget Barden’s greatest joy in her life is her son, Wyatt, despite the fact that his father died suspiciously after getting involved in the wrong investigation. The last thing she ever expects to do is get involved with another private investigator, but when her connection to Gwen Grange puts her in danger and her home is set on fire as a message to the Campbell Agency men, she finds herself relying on the head of the organization, Alex Campbell, to keep her and her son safe. Book Three Caleb Robinson has been charged with looking after his best friend’s sister while she works to recover from a difficult past. The problem is, he’s falling for her fast. But when his health gets in the way, he’ll doubt whether or not he’s right for the woman who has already overcome so much. Only her persistence and a case that helps him realize what’s most important in life can help him get past his doubts and accept love. Book Four Mark Thompson is determined to track down the man who has for so long been plaguing Campbell’s Agency, and having a source on the police force is a great asset. He’s eager to help Rachel when she asks, but the chemistry between them starts to get distracting. What he could never have predicted is that helping her with her own secret investigation might just crack his own wide open. Book Five Sylvia Lyons is a freelance cartoonist who works in Jackson Square in the historical district of New Orleans. Her boyfriend, Ken, works as a security guard, but he doesn’t tell her much more than that until the day he drags her to Campbell’s Agency where he proceeds to confess the fact that he’s gotten in over his head with the worst criminal possible. Their unhealthy relationship explodes, and Sylvia commits to helping Campbell’s Agency clean up the mess Ken created. When Spencer Nichols takes her under his personal protection, Sylvia is grateful, but both of them are wary of the intense connection between them and distracted by the threat on all of their lives.

Chasing Charlie: A Force Recon Marine in Vietnam


Richard Fleming - 2018
    Marine 1st Force Reconnaissance Company during the bloodiest years of the Vietnam War. Dropped deep into enemy territory, Recon relied on stealth and surprise to complete their mission--providing intelligence on enemy positions and conducting raids, prisoner snatches, and ambushes. Fleming's absorbing memoir recounts his transformation from idealistic recruit to cynical veteran as the war claimed the lives of his friends and the missions became ever more dangerous.

INCOMING!: Memories of a Combat Medic: Growing Up Poor, Getting Drafted to Vietnam, Coming Home and Coming Out.


Larry Sanders - 2019
    Then one day I found myself in a foreign country carrying an M-16 rifle and a medical bag fighting a war I knew little about. Within weeks of my arrival in Vietnam the Tet Offensive exploded all around me, changing my life, the war, and the entire world. I witnessed death on a daily basis and became known as Baby-san Bac-si, the baby-faced combat medic.