Book picks similar to
Dreams of Being by Michael J. Seidlinger
fiction
food
interesting-premise
oh-no-not-again
Family Album
Patricia Kay - 2002
But under this surface perfection is a secret Hannah has tried to bury, one that rears its painful head each year on her birthday. When David Conway enters her life just as she turns thirty-eight, that secret will be exposed. Can Hannah's relationship with her husband and daughter survive when they discover she is not the person they thought her to be? Patricia Kay once again delivers an emotional story centering around family relationships, one of her favorite themes.
Leaving Patrick
Prue Leith - 2000
Patrick is a struggling restaurateur who wishes he could spend more time with his wife. As they drift apart, Jane decides she wants more from her relationship than friendship, and so at age thirty-six she sets off on a journey to find what it takes to complete her life. She travels to India where she falls rapturously in lust with her tour guide, Rajiv. Meanwhile Patrick falls for baby-faced American food critic Stella, who could lose him more than his peace of mind; she could lose him his restaurant. Both affairs are disastrous and as their lives spiral toward disaster, Patrick and Jane reassess the decisions they’ve made. Has Jane thrown away true love with both hands?Prue Leith, one of England’s top chefs, displays her expertise in her insider’s details of the restaurant business and the breathtaking food of India. In Leaving Patrick, Leith has created a well-written and moving story with wry humor and intelligence about the real choices adults have to make once they start taking stock of their lives.
A Spirited Girl on Cornish Shores (A Little Hotel in Cornwall Book 2)
Laura Briggs - 2019
Between the staff of quirky co-workers, glamorous and unusual guests, and her growing friendship with the charming but mysterious Sidney Daniels, Maisie is living out adventures instead of just penning them in the pages of her would-be Gothic novel's growing number of chapters. And then there's the slight problem of keeping the balance between friendship and 'something more' with Sidney, who's helping introduce her to the village's version of a Cornish Halloween, and has recently taken an interest in Maisie's secret that may change things between them. But even Maisie’s imagination can't conjure the unusual event this Halloween brings to the Penmarrow. An eccentric earl has chosen this site to host his lavish birthday celebration that includes a pretty (and perceptive) young psychic whose predictions seem to have everyone on edge — and, to Maisie's delight, the elusive novelist Alistair Davies is rumored to be part of the guest list! But with the earl's bickering relatives and illustrious friends on hand— and more than one ghost of the past waiting to be revealed — it’s anyone’s guess what the festivities will bring before the party is over. Will the psychic foretell doom for the earl's gathering—and is her ‘gift’ as genuine as it seems? Will Maisie finally meet her favorite author face to face? And, more importantly, what about the romantic sparks that fly between Maisie and Sidney?
My Name Is Lucy Barton: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout | Summary & Highlights
Summary Reads - 2016
Her mother comes to visit and through conversations with her and a recollection of her past she starts to reflect on her childhood and its affects on her present life. In “My Name is Lucy Barton” the reader gets a glimpse into the past and gains insight into the complicated relationship between a mother and her daughter. After not talking to her mother for years, she is finally reunited when her mother visits her in the hospital. The exploration through their relationship lends unexpected vision into all other relationships in Lucy’s life; her relationship with her husband, daughters, neighbors and family friends. Through this telling narrative one can gather the notion of a past’s affects on their present and their telling of “their” story. “My Name is Lucy Barton” is the thought-provoking tale of a woman discovering herself, her mother, her husband, her children, and the world around her. Inside this SUMMARY READS Summary & Highlights of My Name Is Lucy Barton: Summary of Each Chapter Highlights BONUS: Free Report about The Tidiest and Messiest Places on Earth - http://sixfigureteen.com/messy.
The Hounds of No
Lara Glenum - 2005
Lara Glenum was raised in the gothic South, studied at the University of Chicago and the University of Virgina, and now teaches at the University of Georgia. In this entirely unheimlich debut, she enters the stage of American poetry like a Fritz Lang glamor-girl-cum-anatomical-model. Glenum recovers the political intensity and daring of the Surrealist project. The extraordinary precision of these poems is so stunning, we can't help but feel blinded by their visions: sock-monkeys, dollhouses, and a circus made of meat vibrate between the playful and the brutal so deftly, each line is a perfect shard of some fantastic planet, gloriously and sadly like our own. As in Blake's apocalyptic images, the sky rolls itself up like a scroll--brilliant in its colors and infinite in its scope. Glorious!--D.A. Powell.
Still Life With Bottle: Whisky According to Ralph Steadman
Ralph Steadman - 1994
Illustrated throughout in full color.
Church Chick
Michelle Carey - 2012
In a shallow attempt to move forward, she marries the older Deacon of the church, but is liberated when he dies on their wedding night. Now free to find love and happiness, Sabrina discovers the dark side of love and lust when she is confronted by her new best friend Blair; when Blair thinks Sabrina has stolen the man she loves.
The Blue Car
Sandy Hill - 2014
Two men, aided by her father, hustle her mother away without a word, leaving a stunned Sarah staring after them. Thus begins Sarah’s journey into a world of secrets, a world of great responsibility and little guidance. Along the way, “The Blue Car,” set in western North Carolina in 1952, explores when to keep a promise and when to break it, and whether people can really change. Book club discussion questions included.
The Billionaire's Birthday Wish
Jenna Brandt - 2020
He has everything he could ever want at his fingertips, but something is missing. When one of his friends gives him an exclusive invite to join the Billionaire Birthday Club, he’s intrigued. Could this place finally help him figure out what's missing in his life? Tara Wilson takes the concierge position at the elite and very private island resort, Billionaire Birthday Club, viewing it as a stepping stone to opening her own high-end hotel. What she doesn’t expect is to fall for one of her clients, which could jeopardize everything for her, including her heart. Will Wade’s birthday wish come true? Will Tara be able to have both love and a career? And what will happen when the news gets out about their relationship? *** Billionaire Birthday Club is an exclusive resort—for the billionaire who appears to have everything but secretly wants more. After filling out a confidential survey, a curated celebration is waiting on the island to make their birthday wishes come true!
Ulrich
James WalkerJames Walker - 2018
On his journey he meets Tau, a freed African slave, Ima, a vengeful German war maiden, and Sigmund, a gentle giant caught between worlds. Together they must ally with the Roman Legion to fight against an evil that threatens all the civilized world and pursue justice for those they have lost. Ulrich is the first novel of a series that explores events in and around the Roman empire of the fourth century A.D. A terrible force of invaders, the Alemanni, throw a continent into chaos on their quest for power and revenge and only a young Caesar Julian stands in their way. Action and adventure combine with historical accuracy to create an epic tale of hate, triumph, love, and loss. Through their actions our heroes raise and topple empires and make choices that shape the course of history.
Dead Secret
Catherine Deveney - 2013
It was the moment I watched Daddy die. Everything began to unravel then.’ When their father dies of a sudden heart attack, sisters Rebecca and Sarah Connaghan set aside their differences and return to the family home in Glasgow. Then Rebecca finds letters between her father and the mother she barely remembers that cast doubt on everything she’s been told about her family. Reeling from confusion and grief, she sets off alone for the remote Highlands village that may hold the key to the past. Above all, she is determined to prove the innocence of her father – the beloved, silent man she once thought she knew, now accused of a terrible crime.
Patience
Victoria Scott - 2021
I could barely put the book down until its equally heart-wrenching and heart-warming ending. A wonderful, smart and funny book - I know readers will absolutely love it' Louise Fein, bestselling author of People Like UsThe Willows have been through a lot. Louise has devoted her life to caring for her disabled youngest daughter. Pete works abroad, almost never seeing his loved ones. And their eldest, Eliza, is burdened by all the secrets she's trying to keep from her overloaded family.Meanwhile, Patience observes the world while trapped in her own body. She laughs, she cries, she has opinions and knows what she wants. But those who love her most - and make every decision about her life - will never know.Or will they? When the Willows are offered the opportunity for Patience to take part in a new gene therapy trial to cure her Rett syndrome, they face an impossible dilemma. Are the very real risks worth the chance of the reward, no matter how small?'An extraordinary novel about love and hope and family and what happens in the space between the words. I adored it' Kirsten Hesketh, author of Another Us
Literature Connections Sourcebook: A Wrinkle in Time and Related Readings
McDougal Littell - 1997
Unexpected Gift
Delores Fossen - 2018
And brings with him a Christmas message to deliver to his best friend's sister, Kelly Coburn. But seeing Kelly again brings back all the old feelings – and reminds him of the one-night stand they shared just before he left. Still, a camera crew is there to capture every moment of his momentous homecoming, so now isn't the time to relive the past. That is, until he learns Kelly's had her own delivery in his absence: beautiful baby Noel, Gabe's daughter!Originally published in 2014.
The Silver Compass
Holly Kennedy - 2008
Then along came Louie, who saved her from shame with a beautiful lie. He changed several lives on that day. Now, recently widowed and with a troubled teenage daughter of her own, Ellis has returned to her childhood home, where life will catch her by surprise-and point her in new directions.