Book picks similar to
Going to Water: The Journal of Beginning Rain by Stan Rushworth
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Keeper of the House
Rebecca T. Godwin - 1994
In 1929, due to mysterious family circumstances, Minyon is given up by her grandmother to the employment of Ariadne Fleming, a white madam in the famously elegant brothel called Hazelhedge. At the age of fourteen, she becomes a pair of eyes and hands, watching and working almost invisibly in a world where men and women leave their inhibition, and their pasts, at the door. As Minyon grows up in the household with other black people who provide behind-the-scenes support of Hazelhedge, she cannot escape her haunting childhood memories. Even while bearing witness to the events unfolding around her, Minyon seeks to find her place in the world, and her pace within herself.
The Last Word: A Novel Of The War In The Pacific
Ron Miner - 2020
Dan Callahan doesn’t know why he landed this coveted assignment or what to expect from 112-year-old Owen Trimbel, currently living with his daughter on a rural Minnesota farm even now beyond the reach of pervasive tech. But he sensed that it might be one of those rare opportunities to capture something singular: living memories from the last of a resilient, resourceful, and determined generation, a veteran from a war and a time encased in sepia tones in the minds of a distracted public. He finds his subject waning but still humored by life and surprisingly keen of mind. Dan spends the next three days riveted to Owen’s adventures as a young gunner with a night-flying crew, transported with him from New Guinea to the Mariana Islands on harrowing rescue missions to remote river outposts, and long flights over endless black seas broken only by sightings of enemy ships far below. And finally, the sweet homecoming, complicated by the challenges Owen faces while navigating a new life of unfamiliar circumstances and some very old secrets. Although fictionalized, The Last Word is an amalgam of stories and characters shaped and informed by filmed interviews with ten, real-life squadron members who served in the Pacific during World War II and who graced the author with their time, narratives, and importantly, their wisdom and good friendship.
The Jacobite Lass
Janet MacLeod Trotter - 2014
That child is the passionate and free-spirited Flora, daughter of Marion. Flora’s early years are spent roaming around her father’s cattle farm, running wild and free with her brother and his friends. From early on she adores fair Neil MacEachen. But when her father dies suddenly, Flora and her mother are plunged into poverty and it seems beautiful Flora is destined to skivvy in the kitchen and dairy for her harsh aunt. Until one night dashing soldier, One-eyed Hugh, her mother’s former lover, kidnaps mother and daughter and takes them to Skye where he swiftly marries Marion.Back on the Outer Isles they settle into family life and Flora is taken under the wing of the lively Lady Clan, the chief’s wife, who teaches her the skills of a noblewoman. Flora still dreams of the day she might marry the handsome Neil, who has by now disappeared to France. But when the Clanranalds are invited to the grand wedding of the MacDonald chief of Sleat in Skye, Flora finds herself irresistibly drawn to dark-haired, teasing and passionate Allan of Kingsburgh, one of the mighty Skye MacDonalds, who makes no secret of his desire for her. Her heart is torn; she loves the mysterious and increasingly elusive Neil but struggles to control her attraction to Allan, who is meanwhile being groomed for a prestigious match with the chief of MacLeod’s daughter.Before affairs of the heart can be resolved, the exiled Prince Charles Stuart lands on the Outer Isles in his bid to win back the crown and his arrival ignites the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Scotland is plunged into bloody civil war; families and clans are torn apart in their loyalties and Flora’s fate is changed forever. She faces the biggest decision of her life – whether or not to help the now fugitive Prince to escape the islands and certain execution – knowing that to do so will not only put her own life in danger, but those of the people she loves most in the world.Deeply emotional and uplifting, The Jacobite Lass is set in the turbulent times of 18th century Scotland and is based on the true story of Scottish heroine, Flora MacDonald and Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Judge Parker and Bass Reeves: Two Fisted Justice
Fred Staff - 2013
It takes Bass Reeves from about 60 up until his death in 1910, at the age of 73, He is buried in Muskogee, Oklahoma. During his 32 years as a US Marshal he captured over 3000 lawbreakers. His length of service and his bravery is unmatched by any man, in the history of Indian Territory. The trilogy describes action packed, fast moving encounters with the lawless of the most dangerous land in the history of the U.S. and they are based on true facts. His relationship with Judge Parker"The Hanging Judge" was legendary. The two teamed to enforce the law and make it possible for Oklahoma to become a state. Their dedication to the law is unmatched anywhere in history. They not only were a team in law enforcement, they were friends. Bass traveled over 800 miles in a month's time capturing and transporting the lawbreakers of the time to Federal Court. He took no quarter. He was fair and honest, a master of disguise, and a highly intelligent man, which enabled him to bring in some of the most feared badmen of the times. His association with Bud Ledbetter, Sam Sixkiller, Heck Thomas, Belle Starr and the many other notables of the time are covered in this book. If you love westerns, history and Oklahoma this book is a must read.
A Fragile Peace
Teresa Crane - 1984
But before the day is out that peace is shattered due to a war being fought in a country not their own.Summer 1940: London is at war, and for the first time in the history of combat a civilian population is under attack from the air. As a consequence - also for the first time - a generation of young men is called upon to face the enemy not from within an organised force on land or on sea but in individual and lethal combat in the skies above the green, fertile and until now peaceful fields of southern England…
The war was not of their making but the Jordan family will do whatever it takes to save all that they hold dear. The perfect family saga of love, war and hope for fans of Josephine Cox, Lily Graham and Natasha Lester.
The Dying Place
David A. Maurer - 1986
So begins The Dying Place, David Maurer’s unflinching look at MACV-SOG, Vietnam, and a young man’s entry into war. Fresh from the folds of the Catholic Church, Sgt. Sam Walden is quickly embraced by another religion, jungle warfare. After four years there may be no resolution between the two; God knows Sam has tried. But how many Hail Mary’s will absolve him of what he has done in Laos? Walden is a war-weary Green Beret, regularly tested beyond normal limits by the ever-changing priorities of the puzzle palace in Saigon. And yet he overcomes, staying alive to go on mission after mission with his one-one and his little people. To them he is everything – strength, compassion, courage. He will not let them down. David Maurer’s own experiences at MACV-SOG’s Command and Control North come to life in this tense action-packed story. The U.S. was not supposed to be in Laos during the Vietnam War and by all accounts, we weren’t. Some know better, and fortunately, Maurer is one of those. With a fine ear for dialogue Maurer takes you back and sets you down squarely on the LZ, where inner turmoil is quelled and external conflict takes over, if only for awhile. If you’re lucky, you just might make it out alive.
Gathering Storm
Kenneth R. Tarr - 1999
Steven Christopher struggles to make sense of his life after his wife abandons him and their three children to join a polygamous cult. He meets Mary Fleming at his new ward and is deeply attracted by her beauty and intelligence, but his bitter experience with marriage makes him feel unworthy and afraid to give his heart to another woman. Mary, recovering from her own failed relationship, sees something in Steven that even he doesn't realize exists, but how can he trust her? Then the first great catastrophe strikes. Steven and Mary soon find themselves in the midst of apocalyptic prophecies regarding latter-day events—both terrible and marvelous—that unfold shortly before the Second Coming of the Lord. As natural disasters, plagues, anarchy, and the collapse of the American government lead to the degradation of civilization throughout the world, a great worldwide secret combination expands its evil influence. The people of God are the only power that can stand against this evil, people like Steven and Mary—if they will accept the challenge. Join Steven and Mary as they begin a tumultuous journey for survival in a dangerous world. Gathering Storm is a compelling novel that will have you turning pages and looking into your own heart to see how you might deal with the trials ahead. Fast-paced and well-researched, Gathering Storm is not only fascinating but technically sound. As you read this exciting LDS novel, you will recognize yourself and those in your ward, and you will be amazed at how ordinary people grow to meet extraordinary challenges. Adventure, romance, tragedy, and triumph—Gathering Storm has them all! —Rachel Ann Nunes, author of Ariana and Before I Say Goodbye
William Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury and as I Lay Dying: Essays, Articles, Reviews
Nicolas Tredell - 2000
By the end of the Second World War, however, the reputation of both novels had grown and Faulkner's great fictional creation, Yoknapatawpha County, had become as much a part of America as any real area of the Mississippi landscape. This "Guide" explores the wealth of critical material generated by these two exceptional works of modernist fiction. From the initially mixed critical responses to the novels in the early 1930s, the "Guide" follows the enormous growth of interest in Faulkner's work across six decades. New writings shaped by a range of critical theories are discussed, offering the reader a clear view of the place now given to one of America's most innovative and influential novelists.
Petra
Shaena Lambert - 2020
Award-winning novelist Madeleine Thien calls
Petra
a masterpiece--a fierce, humane and powerful novel for our times.
January, 1980. At the height of the Cold War, Petra Kelly inspires hundreds of thousands to take to the streets to protest the placement of nuclear missiles on West German soil--including a NATO general named Emil Gerhardt, who shocks the establishment by converting to the cause. Petra and her general not only vault to fame as the stars of the Green Party, but they also fall in love. Then Manfred Schwartz, an ex-lover, urges Petra to draw back the curtain on Emil's war record, and they enter a world both complicated and threatening.Told by Manfred Schwartz, from his place in a present world even more beset by existential threats, Petra is an exploration of love, jealousy, and the power of social change. A woman capable of founding a new and world-changing politics and taking on two superpowers, Petra still must grapple with her own complex nature and a singular and fatal love.
The Grove of Eagles
Winston Graham - 1963
Men like John Killigrew, commanding a key position on the Cornish coast, were vital to the survival of the country, and it is through the eyes of his eldest son, Maugan, that the story unfolds. Rich in action, it is also crowded with unforgettable characters, many of them based on actual historical figures. Maugan Killigrew himself emerges, through his loneliness and his love, his physical suffering in a Spanish gaol, as a touchingly honest and believable character who is, above all things, a man of his time.
The Hill
Ray Rigby - 1965
A new batch of prisoners have just arrived in British detention camp 3599. Among them is Stevens, puny, effeminate and psychologically weak. The prisoners are both entertained and repulsed by his bizarre outbursts and cries for help; his frailty initially disgusts them but soon becomes an alarming call for help. Stevens shares Cell 8 with fellow new arrivals Bartlett, the old lag, Bokumbo, tough West African, McGrath, hardened Scottish fighter and Roberts, a warrant officer who refused to go into a suicidal action. The clash of personalities beneath the brutal lust for power of a staff sergeant generates a savage tension. The mental torture Stevens is forced to endure leaves the other cell members speechless and full of hatred for a military system that they had once been part of. Eventually, they put their differences to one side and decide there is something else worth fighting for. The hot sun of Egypt permeates every thought and action, and the steep hill - over which prisoners have to run at the double with full kit - burns into the consciousness of every man. Finally, the pitiless indifference shown by the authorities leads to a shocking denouement. This is a brutal story of British detention camp and one man’s sadistic lust for power. Praise for Ray Rigby: ‘The most spectacularly powerful novel since Bridge over the River Kwai…a crescendo of excitement’ – The New York Times Ray Rigby was an English novelist and playwright. ‘The Hill’ was turned into a blockbuster film starring Sean Connery and Michael Redgrave. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
Dear Olivia: An Italian Journey of Love and Courage
Mary Contini - 2014
Sharing some of the recipes that they brought over, the tomatoes, the garlic, the sausage, the wine, this is a mouthwatering memoir of family and food. It is also a brilliant evocation of life between the wars, a triumphant story of survival against all the odds, that captures the sights and smells of Italian life and culture, at home and abroad.
The Path
Rick Joyner - 2013
Written in the genre of The Final Quest trilogy, this is a prophetic allegory that goes deeper, further, and higher, illuminating some of the most important truths of our times.