Not Forgetting the Whale


John Ironmonger - 2015
    From the retired village doctor and the schoolteacher, to the beachcomber and the owner of the local bar, the priest's wife and the romantic novelist, they take this lost soul into their midst. But what the villagers don't know is that Joe Haak worked as an analyst and has fled the City amid fears of a worldwide banking collapse caused by a computer program he invented. But is the end of the world really nigh? And what of the whale that lurks in the bay? Intimate, funny and deeply moving, NOT FORGETTING THE WHALE is the story of a man on a journey to find a place he can call home.

Ferals


Jacob Grey - 2015
    A city in danger. A boy with the power to command the crows. Ferals is the first book in a dark, action-packed trilogy that’s part The Graveyard Book, part Batman, and all high-octane adventure.Blackstone was once a thriving metropolis. But that was before the Dark Summer—a wave of violence and crime that swept through the city eight years ago, orchestrated by the fearsome Spinning Man. Now the Spinning Man is on the move again, and a boy named Caw is about to be caught in his web.Caw has never questioned his ability to communicate with crows. But as the threat of a new Dark Summer looms, Caw discovers the underground world of Blackstone’s ferals—those with the power to speak to and control animals. Caw is one of them. And to save his city, he must quickly master abilities he never knew he had . . . and prepare to defeat a darkness he never could have imagined.

The Magic Army


Leslie Thomas - 1982
    The invasion of Occupied Europe. This army, mainly Americans, British and Canadians, most of whom had no experience of battle, was to be transported across the English Channel. No one knew how. This is the story of the American "occupation" of a wide district of South Devon to permit realistic war games. Its characters range from the Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery to the village simpleton. The Magic Army is an impressively moving, often very funny novel, which recreates the astonishing operation which preceded the Allied landing in France.

The Heritage: A Jewish Historical Fiction Novel


Jack Michonik - 2015
    Thousands of Jewish families are forced to flee poverty and anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe. Fate takes two families to the magical continent of South America, which opens its generous arms to them. Many surprises await the immigrants in the New World. In this exciting story of their lives from their early teens in the “shtetl” to leisurely musings of middle age, we see the hardships immigrants face in the long journey to America, the complex process of adaptation to an unfamiliar environment and the phenomenal development of their businesses. Parallel to the story of the main characters, another story emerges: that of the birth of a typical Jewish community within a Christian city. Translated from the original Spanish book, La Descendencia, The Heritage is peppered with reflections on religion and historical events of the time regarding the Jews and the state of Israel. Throughout the narrative, the author captivates us with a fascinating story of overcoming, human conflicts and addresses issues of assimilation and identity. Though not an autobiographical novel, it could be the story of the parents or grandparents of any Jew from Central or South America. The author preferred to use a fictional provincial capital of Latin American so that the reader can recognize the history of his or her own Jewish community, as all Jewish communities in Latin America came into being in an almost identical manner.

The Tide Washed Her Away (Jessica Carter Mysteries Book 1)


J. Moriarty - 2015
    Some remembered her as the innocent daughter of a local minister, while others whispered rumors about a recent lascivious turn. Was she really the 'other woman' who came between her friends' engagement? Is it true she convinced someone to give up a life of crime? Did she really spend time in jail for a DUI? After failing to maintain a blogging career, Jessica Carter must return to her home town of Hampton, New Hampshire. The place is nice enough: a beautiful summer destination with sandy beaches, a touristy boardwalk and a cozy, small-town atmosphere. But Jessica knows coming home means owning up to her mistakes and mending relationships with everyone she left behind. Corinne's death brings Jessica closer to her former friends, but as she digs into Corinne's life, she exposes dark secrets her friends wish would remain hidden. Caught between her investigation and her friends, Jessica seeks to answer the one question everyone else seems content to leave unresolved: who knew the real Corinne, and why would someone want her dead?

The Gardener


Prue Leith - 2007
    After a painful divorce and a great deal of soul-searching she has uprooted her three children to take a job as head gardener to millionaire Brody Keegan. Brody is as ignorant about gardens as Lotte is knowledgeable so it's only a matter of time before the two lock horns.

Bluethroat Morning


Jacqui Lofthouse - 2000
    In death she becomes a greater icon than in life, and the Norfolk village where she lived is soon a place of pilgrimage. Six years later her husband Harry, a schoolteacher, is still haunted by her suicide and faithful to her memory. Until he meets Helen and they fall in love. Harry and Helen’s relationship initiates a return to the scene of Alison’s death where they meet ninety-eight year old Ern Higham, and a tale is revealed that has been generations in the making. As Harry pieces together a tragic history and finally confronts his own pain, he discovers that to truly move forward, first he must understand the past ... ‘A moving read, threaded through with mystery and excitement.’ – Good Housekeeping Magazine ‘A thriller full of twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing. Every word is magical, almost luminous.’ – Daily Mail ‘A classic tale of longing.’ – Time Out ‘There are many elements to savour in this novel: the intertwining of past and present; the struggle to write and the responsibility of writing about others’ lives. Best of all, Lofthouse has a fine eye for the bleak Norfolk landscape and how it both reflects and affects characters’ moods.’ – Tracy Chevalier author of Girl with a Pearl Earring ‘Captures the spacey feel of Norfolk well – an engaging read, intriguingly structured, tough in some of its insights, and sexy too.’ – Lindsay Clarke, author of The Chymical Wedding, winner of the Whitbread Prize for Fiction ‘Those who feel the reading public’s love of the 19th century Gothic mystery may be abating will be given pause by this latest entry in the field of pastiche. This is a considerable piece, full of subtle characterization and a well-chosen raft of literary underpinnings.’ – Publishing News ‘The intertwining of the two main stories is very skilfully done, as is the delicacy and understanding she brings to the key themes – suicide, creativity, love and especially paternal love. Very moving.’ – Henry Sutton, novelist and co-director MA Creative Writing, UEA

The Best People in the World


Justin Tussing - 2006
    But all boundaries vanish when Thomas experiences first love with Alice, his new history teacher, a woman eight years his senior—and when he meets Shiloh, a misfit vagabond and anarchist who becomes his new role model. Fleeing to rural Vermont, this unlikely trio boldly pursues freedom, intimacy, and seclusion, unfettered by commitments and rules. But a life apart from the world does not ensure a life apart from the past—and for one of them, the past that emerges will threaten tragedy.

Littlejohn


Howard Owen - 1992
    Painstakingly honest, Littlejohn is "a character as fully rounded in his quirks and imperfections, in his quiet determination and bravery, as any in recent fiction."--Washington Post. National reading tour.

The Romance Reader


Pearl Abraham - 1995
    Both a coming-of-age story and a brave, beautifully rendered expose of a hidden, insular world . . . heartrending.--Elle.

Songbird


Walter Zacharius - 2004
    Mia embarks on a perilous odyssey through war-torn Poland to join the ranks of a secret cadre of Jewish militia who have sworn to save their brethren, before escaping to Switzerland and then to America.Determined to avenge her family's deaths, she leaves behind the man she loves and risks her life once more to return to Europe as a double agent and undermine the Germans in the final days of the war. Just when it seems that pain and loss will be her permanent companions, a surprising letter offers the prospect of a very different outcome.Brimming with historical detail, passion, and intrigue, "Songbird" draws richly upon the author's own experiences as an American soldier in World War II, making history come alive with a unique freshness and emotional candor rarely ever seen in a first novel.

MacArthur's Luck: The race for Berlin is on! (The Fortunes of War)


Steven H. Newton - 2017
    His successor as US Army Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur, flies halfway around the world to butt heads with Josef Stalin and change history.When MacArthur relieves General Dwight D. Eisenhower from command in Europe, the Anglo-Allied advance devolves into a free-for-all as competing armies race for Berlin, and the changes echo across the globe. Here are just a few of the highlights from MacArthur’s Luck:Captain Jackie Robinson leads an armored task force across the Rhine. ...Major Barry Goldwater fire-bombs Tokyo. ...Commander Robert Heinlein struggles to save his wounded ship from kamikazes off Okinawa. ...Field Marshals Georgi Zhukov and Ivan Konev clash on the road to Berlin. ...SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Karl Wolff dares everything to negotiate a separate surrender to the Americans. ...Populated by a cast of realistic characters who will take you inside the American, German, Soviet, and Japanese military machines, and meticulously researched by a well-known military historian, MacArthur’s Luck opens The Fortunes of War series, exploring a world both tantalizingly like our own, but also dramatically different.Half the fun is figuring out what’s real, and what’s not.

One Hundred Years of Solitude: Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez (SparkNotes Literature Guide)


SparkNotes - 2002
    Geared to what today's students need to know, SparkNotes provides chapter-by-chapter analysis; explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols; and a review quiz and essay topics. Lively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers.

Close to Home


Pamela Evans - 2001
    Ellie feels truly blessed and has faith in their future - a future which is cruelly snatched away when a terrible car accident leaves Tom brain-damaged and institutionalised. Months later, Ellie is slowly learning to live without him and focuses on her thriving knitwear business. Convicted for a murder he has always denied committing, when Ray Brent is released from prison he is ostracised by the community as he tries to rebuild his life. But he finds a loyal supporter in Ellie when she is witness to a vicious attack on him. Something about him makes her believe in his innocence and the two soon become friends. But it's only a matter of time before friendship becomes an impossible love...

The Broken Lawyer


Donald L'Abbate - 2016
    As he struggles to get his life back on track he must represent a succession of mostly hardened career criminals for whom he has little or no use. But two of his cases challenge his attitudes and test his skills. Convinced that a young Hispanic man accused of armed robbery is actually innocent he works to have the case dismissed before the young man’s life is ruined. Police procedure, a courtroom battle, a savvy expert and an incompetent ADA all play roles in the outcome of the case. A chance introduction brings a Chinese family that’s been dragged into cocaine smuggling and a diamond robbery by a notorious Triad to the lawyer. With the lives of an innocent woman and child hanging in the balance, he works closely with the NYPD and the FBI to free the family from the Triad’s grip. That well-laid plans sometimes go wrong is not surprising but why they go wrong can be surprising as he finds out. The lawyer’s battle with his alcoholism and his AA experiences are very much a part of his story. From his initial skepticism about AA through the various stages of his recovery he tells all with a blunt honesty, sometimes humorously but often painfully, as he is forced to examine his past life and himself.