Book picks similar to
Wide Plank Porches by Laura Frances


southern
fiction
christion-fiction
summer-reading

The Good Son


Greg Fleet - 2018
    To make up for that missed final conversation - and in the hopes of impressing beautiful nurse Sophie - he engages in some good-willed acts of deception- posing as the neglectful relatives of lonely old people in the Peggy Day Aged Cared Home. But when he meets Tamara, a frail and sick 76-year-old with a son she hasn't seen in twelve years, who will really be deceiving who? The Good Son is a story about people fulfilling each other's needs, sometimes unexpectedly. It is about love and fear and relationships, and how we treat the elderly people in our lives. And it is about the difference between blood relatives and the families that we make by choice rather than by birth. And, like all good stories, it involves a road trip.

The Jilted: A Novel


Meghan O'Flynn - 2018
    And that evil is waking up. "An expertly layered work of impressive scope, The Jilted will leave you pondering the real-life differences between good and evil.” ~Kristen Mae, bestselling author of Red Water BLOODIED HANDS. WHISPERED WORDS. BURIED TRUTHS. It’s been two weeks since Chloe Anderson’s fiancé, Victor, disappeared with his daughter, and each night since, Chloe has awakened from the same horrible dream. She’s convinced the nightmares are trying to tell her something, especially when she finds Victor’s camera at an old antique shop downtown—a place where the shadows of the past roam the cobbled streets. Chloe takes a job at the shop, hoping Victor will return for his prized possession. But when she’s sent to do an antiques appraisal on the outskirts of New Orleans, she feels the energy of the sprawling plantation like an icy hand on her back, drawing her away from the shop—and sucking her in. Perhaps it’s the plantation’s mysterious owner triggering her long-dormant intuition. But intuition doesn’t explain the terrifying visions that now plague her waking hours, or the mutilated girl who stalks her from the shadows, vanishing when Chloe tries to speak to her. And the voices… Come to me. Watch out for the dark, child. Is this what Victor meant when he told her he’d felt possessed? Is she losing her mind the way he did? Now Chloe must look deep within herself, summoning a power she’s tamped down since childhood, because the thing that took Victor is an old, vicious darkness, far more ancient than the horrors that seep from every branch on the white-washed plantation—more appalling than the hideous acts of violence that lurk in each long-abandoned cemetery. And if she cannot defeat the evil, if she succumbs to the madness, the creature stalking the town will take Victor, take Chloe . . . and make sure no one leaves Cicatrice alive. For fans of Stephen King, Nick Cutter, and Thomas Heuvelt, this breathtaking supernatural thriller is a masterfully crafted novel about what horrors might exist on the other side—whether we believe they are there or not.

Static: A Quiet World


Jacqueline Druga - 2021
    Seconds later it's gone, and no one knows what happened. Normal life resumes. BBQs continue, and kids play in backyards. No one notices the screams coming from one backyard.Everyone believes it to be a fluke. But it doesn't just happen in Carthage, it happens all over.While delayed, the after effects of the event are brutal to all those who were exposed to the flash, and horrifying to behold.Those not exposed, like Alana Cross, are helpless to do anything. All they can do is witness humanity self-destructing right in front of their eyes.

Scattered Pearls


Sohila Zanjani - 2016
    From Tehran to Melbourne, a powerful memoir of survival.Scattered Pearls opens in pre-revolutionary Iran, where Sohila Zanjani grew up under the threat of violence, intimidation and control at the hands of her father. Resolving never to tread in the footsteps of her mother and her grandmother, both survivors of domestic abuse, Sohila tried to find a new life for herself on the other side of the world. But to her horror she discovered that living with her father had been gentle in comparison to the reality of her new married life.Spanning more than a hundred years, Scattered Pearls tells the true stories of Sohila, her mother and her grandmother, and the injustice and abuse meted out by the men in their lives. It is a story of cultural misogyny in both Iran and Australia, and of an ongoing search for a loving, equal relationship.Along the way the book provides a glimpse into the lives of ‘ordinary’ Iranians and the power of the Persian culture. It’s also a confronting insight into what can go on behind closed doors – even in an ‘advanced’ society.But at its heart, Scattered Pearls is a story of resilience and personal growth, and of allowing the future to blossom in spite of the damage of the past. It is one of optimism, courage, and love and hope.This is the story of three women, but it carries with it the stories of an entire culture.

Instant Family


Elisabeth Rose - 2010
    Five years later, Chloe is shocked when teenage Sebastian gets into trouble with the police. A victim of Seb's vandalism, and initially reluctant to involve himself with his rehabilitation, divorced architect Alex Bergman is surprised by their friendship. He realizes that all Seb and his twin brother need is a good male role model. Pretty Chloe has not only neglected her own life, but begun to smother theirs. Determined not to be distracted by an attractive man whose motives she can't trust, Chloe daydreams of a life free from children where she can finish her music degree. Can Alex convince her that their dreams can coexist?

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories


Robert Louis Stevenson - 1969
    Jekyll and Mr. Hyde --The Suicide Club --The bottle imp --The body-snatcher --Olalla.

Annihilation


Alex Garland - 2018
    Following on from the success of his thriller, Ex Machina, Alex Garland returns to cerebral sci-fi with his adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's cult novel -a tale of a biologist attempting to uncover the mystery of her husband's disappearance into a restricted zone.What she and her fellow scientists discover is a world populated by mysterious life forms that might offer answers, but which exposes them to madness and death.Beside the screenplay, the book also includes 20 pages of behind-the-scenes photos.

Blood in the Low Country


Paul Attaway - 2020
    

Outbound Train


Renea Winchester - 2020
    She wrestles with past demons every night, then wakes to the train’s five-thirty whistle. Exhausted and dreading the day, she keeps her hands busy working in Bryson City’s textile plant, known as the “blue jean plant,” all the while worrying about her teenage daughter, Carole Anne. The whistle of the train, the hum of those machines, and the struggle to survive drives Barbara. When an unexpected layoff creates a financial emergency, the desperate pressure of poverty is overwhelming.Unbeknownst to Barbara, Carole Anne sneaks out at night to walk the tracks so she can work at Hubert’s Bar. She’s hoarding money with plans to drive her mother’s rusty, unused Oldsmobile out of Bryson City, and never return. She only needs one opportunity … if she can just find it.When Carole Anne goes missing, Barbara finds herself at a crossroad—she must put aside old memories and past hurts to rely on a classmate for help finding her daughter. But this is the same man she blames for the incident years ago. Is she strong enough—or desperate enough—to do anything to keep her daughter safe?In Outbound Train, the Parker women struggle to make frayed ends meet in a town where they never quite do … at least, not without expert weaving and a bit of brute force.Here's what others say about Outbound Train. Renea Winchester's storytelling is as real and authentically Southern as the clear water music of an Appalachian creek and the song of Cicadas on a front porch summer evening. Lisa Wingate,#1 New York Times Bestselling author of Before We Were Yours and Before and After.I fell in love with the smart, strong, funny characters in this community of make-do women, and I predict you will, too.Pamela Duncan, Author of Plant LifeWith pitch-perfect dialogue and believable characters, Winchester has crafted a story that will make readers stand up and cheer.Michael Morris, Man in the Blue Moon, A Place Called WiregrassA powerful tale of heartache and healing delivered with the skills of a true southern story tellerJulie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of PerennialsOutbound Train is a journey you won't want to miss. It is a thrilling and heartfelt journey into the collective soul of the Parker women from the mountains of North Carolina, who will teach you the meaning of courage, strength and, most important, love. Outbound journey is a novel you will not put down or ever forget.Peter Golden, Author of Nothing Is Forgotten

Sweet Romance


Erika EverestMeredith Deichler - 2020
    Love, laughter, and occasional tears - no need to turn on the Hallmark Channel this winter. Snuggle up with this feel-good anthology instead!Warning: reading this anthology may cause cravings for cider sugar donuts, French toast, pimento cheese, cherry cola, and maple syrup ice-cream, as well as happy ever afters

Nightmare Soup: Tales That Will Turn Your Stomach


Jake Tri - 2017
    Each story is accompanied by a ghastly illustration from the mind of Andy Sciazko... the kind of illustrations that will disturb you in the best way possible.

Descendants


Stephen R. King - 2016
    King’s mysterious and thriller packed story vaults. Open up your imagination and let the vivid writing and frightening tales awaken your mind. Scream late into the night with more great horror for all your senses. Evil comes in many forms. Travel through the desert, speak with others from another world, and smell the roses in these incredible journeys and wild realities. WARNING: Not the famous Stephen King from Maine.

Bells for Eli


Susan Beckham Zurenda - 2020
    But Eli's tragic accident changes the trajectory of their lives and of those connected to them. Shunned and even tortured by his peers for his disfigurement and frailty, Eli struggles for acceptance in childhood as Delia passionately defends him. Delia's narrative voice presents Eli as a confident young man in adolescence, but underneath he hides indelible wounds harboring pain and insecurity, scars that rule his impulses. And while Eli cherishes Delia and attempts to protect her from her own troubles, he cares not for protecting himself. In this compelling coming of age story, culture, family, friends, bullies, and lovers propel two young people to unite to guard each other in a world where love, hope, and connectedness ultimately triumph.

Serpent: A Deep Sea Thriller


Michael Cole - 2021
    Hugh Meyer believed he had created the ultimate miracle. Using the DNA of ancient creatures preserved in the Arctic, he had genetically engineered one of the most remarkable species of sea creature to ever exist: Serpentem Vectem Cel—Serpent Eel. Believed to possess the cure for countless diseases, the creature holds great promise for the medical community. All goes awry when the beast escapes containment. With a rapid growth rate and remarkable physical evolution, the beast travels to the coastal town of Spiral Bay. There, the creature designed to save human life instead starts taking it.Fishing vessels are found wrecked, paddleboaters mysteriously disappear, and large whales turn up dead. Realizing his creation has become Mankind’s worst nightmare, Hugh Meyer must join forces with the local police chief, a skillful mechanic, and a rich reality show star to bring the Serpent’s rampage to a dead halt.

The Bitter End


Ann Evans - 2018
    Paul finally has his life back on track. After losing his wife, Helena in a horrific car crash, he has found love with Sally and moves into her country cottage.    As a former high-ranking Naval Officer, Paul now works as Head of Security at MI5.Paul has no memories from before he was ten years old. An accident left him in a coma for 9 months.  But was it really an accident?Soon Paul starts to have flashes of childhood memories, all involving his childhood friend, Owen.Sally introduces him to her friend, Juliet, the owner of a craft shop. Paul is shocked when he meets Juliet’s partner, his old friend Owen.Flashes of memories continue to haunt Paul, particularly the memory of his first wife Helena burning in the car crash. As dark things start to happen, and local people begin dying in horrific accidents, Paul must face his past and will end up fighting for his life.