Skyscraper of a Man


Michael Bowe - 2019
    Rooted in the homogenous suburbs of the 1970s, the novel explores the American propensity to pursue great ambitions, regardless of upbringing, that can result in lives that are larger than life. The four main characters meet at college and forge such lives, each achieving remarkable success in their chosen pursuits while condoning the choices that enable their success. The main character, Benjamin Franklin Matthews, the son of a printer and avid Revolutionary War buff, believes deeply in America, its founding principles, and “by the people, for the people” government. Inspired by the grand ideals of the Founding Fathers, Ben starts a newspaper and runs for political office, efforts aimed at righting a nation he perceives as falling short of its potential and promise. His three college friends, a writer who is also his business partner, a television news anchorwoman who was his lover, and a former college football star, play contributing roles in his rise to national prominence. In the end, Ben learns that grand ideals are elusive, difficult to maintain, and better left to the perfect among us.

How Angels Die


David-Michael Harding - 2011
    How Angels Die, the epic work of historical fiction by author David-Michael Harding, delivers a highly inventive and uncommon take on the French Resistance that is certain to appeal to anyone who relishes a blood-pumping drama, which also sheds searing new light on the astounding bravery, profound passion, and razor-sharp cunning of the fairer sex during the most trying times. In four fateful days, two remarkable sisters, Monique and Claire McCleash, battle the German occupation of their coastal French town in the early days of June 1944. While their mission is the same, their methods of upending the occupation are irreconcilably at odds. The strikingly beautiful Monique puts her body and wit to work for the Resistance by dating and sleeping with German officers; her younger sister Claire elects instead to serve as an active combat guerilla fighter for the cause. Brimming with high drama that is punctuated by family humor, How Angels Die lifts the veil on a lesser-known side of the French Resistance. Through the prism of two intrepid women, the novel illuminates how these women employ their formidable assets and fierce love of country to face down a vicious enemy. With page-turning action, unstoppable passion, and historical accuracy, this heart-racing novel is a must-read for sisters, history buffs, and action enthusiasts alike.

Blackdeath 23: My Journal as an Army Helicopter Pilot in Iraq


Robert Mills - 2014
    Robert's daily journal will give you a realistic experience from his cockpit. His writings cover the entire spectrum, from the joys of simply receiving mail from home, living in harsh conditions, experiencing frequent enemy attacks, aircraft emergencies and losing a fellow pilot, to making the ultimate decision of pulling the trigger to end one life in order to save another. Robert states, "I never intended to write a book. It took over three years to complete. Some of it was extremely difficult to get through."

All But Normal: Life on Victory Road


Shawn Thornton - 2016
    Inside the Thornton house, floors and countertops were piled high with dirty laundry and garbage because Bev was unable to move well enough to clean. Dinners were a Russian roulette of half-cooked meat, spoiled milk, and foods well past their expiration dates. A moment of frustration might prompt her to hurl a knife at Shawn, his brother, Troy, or their dad or to vehemently cuss them out, only to shower them with love and affection moments later as though nothing had happened. And God help the family cat!On several occasions, Bev even tried to jump out of the car on the highway while Shawn and his brother struggled to keep her inside. Yet this same woman was also a devoted Bible reader, Sunday school teacher, and friend to the elderly, poor, and marginalized wherever she went. How the same woman could be a saint one minute and a nightmare the next was a constant source of frustration for the family. Then one day, after decades of embarrassing outbursts, a surprise discovery finally helps the Thornton family come to grips with Bev's mysterious condition and brings Shawn to a startling realization that changes the course of his life forever.A heartwarming coming-of-age story, All But Normal is a powerful reminder that sometimes the "broken" people in our lives are the ones who need fixing the least.

A Murderous Storm


Dirk Trost - 2014
    He is shocked to find the body of a young woman in his fishing net instead of the shrimp he was trawling for. The police rule the death an unfortunate result of a boating accident, but Jan and the dead woman’s sister, Eva Ehrlich, come to a different conclusion: murder.At first, Jan refrains from helping Eva in her investigation of the suspicious circumstances surrounding her sister’s death. Yet Eva’s beautiful blue-eyed charm soon convinces Jan to get involved, and when a second body is found in the harbor—a corpse marked by signs of violence—Jan starts to fear that he’s in over his head. Will he be able to stop a killer before more people meet a watery end?

The Electric Hotel


Dominic Smith - 2019
    A sweeping work of historical fiction, it shimmers between past and present as it tells the story of the rise and fall of a prodigious film studio and one man’s doomed obsession with all that passes in front of the viewfinder.For nearly half a century, Claude Ballard has been living at the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel. A French pioneer of silent films, who started out as a concession agent for the Lumière brothers, the inventors of cinema, Claude now spends his days foraging mushrooms in the hills of Los Angeles and taking photographs of runaways and the striplings along Sunset Boulevard. But when a film-history student comes to interview Claude about The Electric Hotel—the lost masterpiece that bankrupted him and ended the career of his muse, Sabine Montrose—the past comes surging back. In his run-down hotel suite, the ravages of the past are waiting to be excavated: celluloid fragments and reels in desperate need of restoration, and Claude’s memories of the woman who inspired and beguiled him.

Walk With Us: How "The West Wing" Changed Our Lives


Claire Handscombe - 2016
    That's a long time ago. Back then, we were worrying about the Millennium Bug, paying $700 for DVD players, and using pagers. 1999: a century ago.And yet, the show continues to have an impact that is arguably unique. If you live or work in DC, references to it are inescapable. People have walked down the aisle to the theme music. Or they’ve named children, pets, GPS systems, and even an iPhone app after the characters. Or they’ve started Twitter accounts as the characters to continue the storyline and comment on current political events. Or they credit it for closer relationships with their family members or a way out of depression.In this anthology of quotes and essays, contributors from six countries, ranging in age from twenty to seventy years old, tell their West Wing stories.

First Survivor


Mark Unger - 2018
    With the world’s best doctors and the advocacy of his parents, Louis Unger would fight the battle for his young life. At age 3, Louis was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. He battled this treacherous cancer for 5 years with the leadership of the neuroblastoma team at Memorial Sloan Kettering. After relapsing with the cancer in his brain, his incredible team of doctors developed a new treatment protocol that cured him. His grit and incredible attitude led to a breakthrough that would change how cancer is treated today. This protocol is now helping to save many other children who are diagnosed with a brain relapse.

The Soldier's Song


Alan Monaghan - 2010
    As Ireland stands on the brink of political crisis, Europe plunges headlong into war. Among the thousands of Irishmen who volunteer to fight for the British Army is Stephen Ryan, a gifted young maths scholar whose working class background has marked him out as a misfit among his wealthy fellow students. Sent to fight in Turkey, he looks forward to the great adventure, unaware of the growing unrest back home in Ireland. His romantic notions of war are soon shattered and he is forced to wonder where his loyalties lie, on his return to a Dublin poised for rebellion in 1916 and a brother fighting for the rebels. Everything has changed utterly, and in a world gone mad his only hope is his growing friendship with the brilliant and enigmatic Lillian Bryce. "The Soldier's Song "is a poignant and deeply moving novel, a tribute to the durability of the human soul.

Unwound


Jonathan Baine - 2007
    Chronicling the sordid world of a teenage prostitute, it was the biggest bestseller of the year. It broke conventions, inspired a cult following, and made Peter Robertson rich, admired...and scared. There, on the edge of the crowd, he always sees her. She not only looks like Angel, she embodies the desperate creature he created. Everywhere Peter goes, she goes, obsessed with everything about him. What could she possibly want? Soon, curiosity will get the best of him. So will the girl with the haunted eyes. Because what she's really after is something that will explode Peter's world.

The First Stone


Bodie Thoene - 2011
    Scrolls" Series is a SPECIAL EDITION, DIRECTOR'S CUT of 'JERUSALEM SCROLLS' from the Thoenes' popular "Zion Legacy Series"**The voices inside her whisper, Forgiveness?Yes, for them, but never for you.…The story of Mary Magdalene, in her own wordsAs the harsh Jerusalem winter of 1948 wears on Rachel Sachar, beautiful holocaust survivor, prays for some word from her husband Moshe who vanished in the secret tunnels beneath Jerusalem. Then one night a stranger named Eben Golah arrives with a message from Moshe and the translation of the ancient diary of Mary Magdalene. Like Rachel, Mary was a beautiful child. Everyone said so. Tragedy struck, everything changed in Mary’s family. Her dreams of love and children of her own abruptly ended. No amount of wealth or male companionship can bring Mary what she really longs for, nor can they stop the voices calling, “Finish it! You have no reason to live. No hope…” But might there be a second chance…even for someone like her? Secretly, she wonders…2,000 years separate the tragic stories of Mary Magdalene and Rachel Sachar, and yet their lives lead to Yeshua of Nazareth in Old Jerusalem. Will these women find freedom and forgiveness? Or will Yeshua cast the first stone? This is Mary’s story, from her own diary, as translated by Jewish Haganah fighter and scholar Moshe Sachar in 1948, as he prepares to emerge from his hiding place in the secret library under besieged Jerusalem.DISCOVER THETRUTHTHROUGHFICTION™BODIE & BROCK THOENE(pronounced Tay-nee) have written more than 60 works of historical fiction. Their novels have sold more than 20 million copies and have won eight ECPA Gold Medallion awards. The Thoenes divide their time between London and Nevada.

Flying for France: With the American Escadrille at Verdun


James R. McConnell - 1917
    This version has the original photographs returned.

Homeowner with a Gun


Samuel Hawley - 2014
    You’re awakened by a noise. Someone is in your house. What do you do?When it happens at 148 Maple Drive, homeowner Jeff Shaw gets his gun and goes downstairs to investigate while his wife calls 9-1-1. It’s their home, after all. Jeff has to protect it. He finds two men in the kitchen and shoots them both. Dead.The incident puts great strain on Jeff and his family. He wants to believe they just need to get on with their lives and everything will return to normal. But it’s not that easy. The dead intruders belonged to a gang, ANG, “Ain’t No Game,” that now wants revenge. And one of the gang, an ex-con who goes by the name I-Man, knows more about the break-in than he’s letting on.It starts with a threatening phone call. Then it gets worse. The police, unable to protect the Shaws, suggest they move away for a while. But Jeff isn't going to be intimidated from his house. Homeowner With a Gun takes the reader on a suspense-filled thrill ride as this everyman fights to save himself and his family, while something a detective said plays in the back of his mind: Maybe the intruders broke into the wrong house. Happens all the time. You wouldn’t believe how often...

Proof the Novel


Ted D. Berner - 2015
    It soon becomes apparent that he's not the only one with an interest in this long-lost civilization, but the others who share this interest and what their intentions are remain a mystery. While wading through legends and folklore, clues begin materializing that lead Ty down a bizarre path, uncovering the secrets of the massive stone structures scattered across the globe from the distant past. From the timeworn ruins in the high mountains of Bolivia and Peru to the colossal megaliths in Baalbek, Lebanon to the Great Pyramid itself, Ty unknowingly inches ever closer to unearthing the disturbing truth of the origins of mankind. Although this novel is fiction, it's based on fact, Biblical scripture, texts found in the Dead Sea scrolls omitted from the Bible, and many other stories from around the world that millions believe to be true.

The Sharecropper Prodigy


David Lee Malone - 2012
    Tom is white, Ben is black. This sometimes creates problems in this particular time and place.A black kid growing up in the height of the Great Depression in rural Alabama, being raised by an alcoholic, abusive father. This is not the place, nor the circumstances, you would expect one of the brightest young minds of the time to emerge. But Ben has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a dogged determination to rise above the stigma that has followed his race and family for generations. These character traits, along with some fortuitous events, are about to propel Ben into history. But first, he must overcome poverty, racism and youth, as well as a murder charge.