Book picks similar to
Mrs. Dunlap's Commentary by Pansy


favorite-author
historical-fiction
short-story
slice-of-life

Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes A Collection of Alphabets, Rhymes, Tales, and Jingles


Harrison Weir - 2012
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

The Eagle and the Tiger


Tim Davis - 2015
    The deceptive, crooked path that led him to today began a few months back. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, nineteen-year old Fleming was a professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago White Sox. His successful first year in the minor leagues was waylaid when he received his draft notice. Through a series of misadventures, he ended up enlisting for four years in an elite unit called the A.S.A. or Army Security Agency; the army’s equivalent to the N.S.A. or the National Security Agency. Once in the army, Fleming learned that the recruiter had manipulated him with a host of untruths. Then, to his dismay, he learned that the army had lost his orders and he was placed in an infantry unit. Once in Vietnam, Platoon Sergeant, Levine questioned Fleming and dragged out of him the sad story of how he had enlisted for four years and ended up in an infantry unit. He became the butt of the platoon’s jokes and underwent vicious ribbing by the other platoon members. That day, the platoon was ordered back to their base camp: L.Z. English. Before leaving, they endured a mortar attack and then a ground probe. Fleming’s foxhole mate was critically wounded. Fleming did everything he could to save the man but his wounds were too severe and he died in Fleming’s arms. Repulsed by the ordeal, Fleming was left wondering if he could endure a whole year of this. Twelve-year old Van Phan Duc and his two friends twelve-year old Hoi Anh Vanh and Dan Tri Quang lived happily in their village until the day a N.V.A. invaded and forced them to join their struggle and fight the invading Americans. They were then assigned to a Viet Cong unit where they met Sergeant Chi, the man who would train them to be soldiers for the revolution and lead them into battle. Three American soldiers had been captured. Chi ordered the three boys to participate in brutally torturing the Americans. Dan embraced the torture and it turned him into a brutal fighting machine, much to Chi’s satisfaction. On the other hand, Hoi was repulsed by the events and a part of him died that day. He performed the torture but it wasn’t to Chi’s satisfaction. Van, a devout Buddhist, was also repulsed. He realized that life, as a soldier was three hundred and sixty degrees opposite of Buddha’s spiritual path. The 173rd’s area of operations was the Central Highlands. The 173rd’s home base was in and around the town of Bong Son, but they patrolled all over the province of Binh Dinh. For the next few months, Fleming and Van’s units met on numerous occasions. The first time they engaged each other in combat was in a simple ambush that lasted only two minutes. Both men were left repulsed by the carnage that could take place in only two minutes. Right after the ambush, Fleming’s company was deployed in a battalion-sized operation located in the Dak To mountain range. It was an area where numerous North Vietnamese soldiers infiltrated into South Vietnam from neighboring Cambodia and Laos. Fleming’s company was dropped into an area far from Dak To and the men were forced to march (hump) to their final destination. During the trek, they had to carve their way through impenetrable jungle and cross leach infested rivers to reach their destination, all the while suffering under Vietnam’s oppressive heat. Van’s Viet Cong unit was sent to the Dak To mountain range to do battle with Fleming and his company. Months passed with Van and Fleming’s units constantly meeting. Both men had similar personalities. Both men overcame their initial shock at war’s brutality and became highly competent soldiers who bravely fought the enemy. Both men were ultimately made into squad leaders. Both men continued to hate the war, yet were entrapped in the insanity that was war. They both recognized what war was—a brutally insane series of events where lives were lost and where dreams died.

Mail Order Nanny: Charlotte's Dream


Jean L. Kuhnke - 2014
    She eventually worked for a wealthy family as their head chef. When she slapped the face of her employers son because of inappropriate advances she was immediately terminated. The only job she could find after six months of searching was for a general housekeeper, nanny and cook in Montana. She could pretend to be the mother she knew she would never be.

A Bethlehem Christmas: Celebrating the Joyful Season


Charles R. Swindoll - 2007
    Best-selling author Charles R. Swindoll invites us to sit back and enjoy his personal and engaging retelling of the first Christmas story. Combining both regal mystery and humble human experience, the book focuses on four major characters: Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, and Immanuel. A Bethlehem Christmas provides biblical insight with the heart and warmth of a gifted storyteller to bring what happened at the nativity to life and renew the joyful hope of Christmas.

Windswept


Fran McNabb - 2012
    Her rescuer, the dashing Captain Slader, is a wrecker who specializes in salvaging cargo from sunken vessels. As a native New Englander, Virginia grew up in wealth but felt most comfortable on the docks, among the ships. This special connection to the sea is one of the few things the privileged heiress and the rugged captain share. But mixed with the captain’s handsome looks, could this passion be enough to drive Virginia’s marriage plans off course?Captain John Slader is no stranger to the winds of change himself. He’d once lost the thing he held most dear: his family. But now that those same winds have sent him the lovely Virginia, will he risk his heart yet again? Virginia’s fiancé, an up-and-coming politician, may be able to offer her a world of wealth and comfort—but could he cherish her as John would, with a love as boundless as the ocean itself?

The Governess 3


Ellise C. Weaver - 2013
    But her biggest challenge will be their father; masterful and strong in everything—especially his kiss. Poor and without dowry—and even worse—now orphaned, Miss Carly Blakemore is thrown into the Victorian world without aid. Carly is forced to seek a position as governess in the house of Lord Huntington, the Earl of Dunfordshire—a man alone in his own right—and under suspicion for the tragic murder of his well-known and adulteress wife. His governess’s honesty and forthrightness quickly offend his noble person, and he finds himself reeling from her constant evaluation of his lack of parenting skills. However, in the midst of his resentments, he finds himself strangely drawn in by her very no-nonsense ways that drive him to madness. Carly stands her ground in head-to-head battles of will that take her to the brink of dismissal. Carly and the earl continually fight the feelings growing between them. Both are oblivious to the clouds of deceit and intrigue that are growing around the manor house, some bent upon removing the beautiful, headstrong governess permanently. A final desperate chase leads to an interception of a ship upon the high seas headed for the Mediterranean and a secret society of white-slave traders, opening the way for this book’s sequel.

The Stagecoach Bride


Mary L. Briggs - 2012
    Six months of exchanging letters has convinced Charlotte's heart that Justice is the man God intends for her. But God seems to have other plans, when Charlotte is kidnapped from the stagecoach to Black Well by a man determined to show her the truth about her beloved fiancée. Sam Anderson holds honesty and integrity above all else. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring Justice Fletcher to the punishment he deserves–even if it means kidnapping the man's fiancé. A woman who touches his heart in a most unexpected way, Charlotte Turner is more than Sam bargains for in his quest for justice. Will he open his heart and hear what God has to say, or is he too bent on revenge?

Hester's Hunt for Home Trilogy


Linda Byler - 2017
    When she's forced to leave everything behind and forge her own path, where—and with whom—will Hester choose to make her new home?Hester on the Run, Book 1: One April morning, an Amish couple finds a Native American infant, wrapped in deerskin and placed next to the spring where they gather water. Kate and Hans adopt the child and name her Hester, despite the criticism of certain community members. Hester glows as she grows, an unmistakable beauty both inside and out, but begins to realize she doesn't quite fit in. An encounter with a Lenape medicine woman gives her a glimpse of her undiscovered heritage. When her own father becomes a threat, Hester is forced to flee from the Amish community, the only home she has ever really known. Which Way Home?, Book 2: Twice rescued—first by matronly Native women who find her unconscious in the woods and then by a boy in downtown Lancaster where she'd been left for dead by the dreaded Paxton boys—Hester finds herself wondering if she will ever find a safe haven. When an Amish man from her past reappears, it seems like destiny, but William King is more in love with the way she looks than with her heart and mind. When a Native American man makes a proposal to Hester, she is perplexed more than ever. Where will her heart lead her?Hester Takes Charge, Book 3: Now widowed and living in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Hester is startled by the unexpected appearance of Noah, the firstborn son of her adoptive parents. Their father's misplaced love for Hester and utter neglect of Noah drove each of them away from their Amish family. When Noah suggests they return to their childhood home to see their ill father, Hester can no longer ignore her buried anger and bitterness. Can they possibly forgive Hans? Can Hester trust herself—and Noah—enough to marry again?Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Dakota Destiny (Dakota #5)


Lauraine Snelling - 2018
    Perhaps it was Will! As folks in Soldahl reel from the war, Pastor Moen’s daughter, Mary, struggles to live with shocking news about the man she loves that arrived by telegram: We regret to inform you that Private First Class Willard Dunfey is missing in action and presumed dead. After months of agonized waiting, news comes to Soldahl on Tuesday, November 11, 1918 that Victory Day has come. Does Mary have reason to hope? Dakota Destiny is the fifth book of the Dakota Series that features the intertwining lives of five inspiring women who live in the early 1900s in the farming community of Soldahl, North Dakota.

A King to Rule


Dale Ellis - 2018
    They live in a world of vendettas, assassinations and endless war. Welcome to the Middle East during the Iron Age. The Philistines murdered Nathan's Father and God did nothing. His tribe was nearly exterminated and God did nothing. Invaders plunder his land and still God does nothing. So, when a kingdom is declared in Israel, a vengeful Nathan pledges himself to King Saul, the father of his boyhood friend Jonathan. Nathan is prepared to act…even if God is not. Achish is a prince, the son of one of the five Kings of Philistia who rule the Egyptian province of Canaan in Pharaoh’s name. Yet, Egypt grows weak and the time draws near for Philistia to forge an empire of its own. But Achish knows his allies will soon be his greatest rivals. So he casts his eyes on Israel with its rich lands, burgeoning population, and ineffectual leaders. If he can harness Israel’s resources, Achish would dominate first Philistia, and later all of Canaan. Achish believes a man makes his own miracles. However, it is dangerous to mistake God’s patience for apathy. God laughs at the schemes of men. He enjoys bending their plans to fit His own. "A King to Rule" is the first book in the "Empire of Israel" series. This exciting Biblical saga continues in the second book in the series, "A King to Fight".

K


Mary Roberts Rinehart - 1915
    She is the author of the phrase "the butler did it." Rinehart has written hundreds of short stories, plays, travelogues and special interest articles. K is a romance set in the industrial Victorian era. When Sidney takes in a border with the initial K her life becomes entwined with the mystery surrounding K. Lies and intrigue surround Sidney.

BEAU TRILOGY (BEAU GESTE, BEAU SABREUR, BEAU IDEAL) & 36 STORIES OF THE FOREIGN LEGION


P.C. Wren - 2010
     At the beginning of the first novel, French Legionnaires find one of their fortresses manned by dead men. Who could have done it? A flashback unravels the mystery of the three English Geste brothers. A classic, rip-roaring tale of adventure... This volume also contains 36 short stories of the Foreign Legion, grouped in four well known collection (now in one volume!): STEPSONS OF FRANCE Ten Little Legionaries A la Ninon de L'Enclos An Officer and--a Liar The Deserter Five Minutes "Here are Ladies" The MacSnorrt "Belzébuth" The Quest Moonshine The Coward of the Legion Mahdev Rao The Merry Liars GOOD GESTES What's in a Name A Gentleman of Colour David and His Incredible Jonathan The McSnorrt Reminiscent Buried Treasure If Wishes were Horses The Devil and Digby Geste The Mule Presentiments Dreams Come True PORT O' MISSING MEN The Return of Odo Klemens The Betrayal of Odo Klemens The Life of Odo Klemens Moon-rise Moon-shadows Moon-set FLAWED BLADES No. 187017 Bombs Mastic--and Drastic The Death Post E Tenebris Nemesis The Hunting of Henri

Selected Short Stories of Rabindranath Tagore


Rabindranath Tagore
    The short stories included in this selection are representative not only of Tagore's range, but they also enable us to revise the conventional view of Tagore as a short story writer. Writing them at a time when the form was not yet popular, Tagore eschewed the romantic strain prevalent in his day. His stories are fables of modern man, where fairy tale meets hard ground, where myths are reworked, and the religion of man triumphs over the religion of rituals and convention, where the love of a woman infuses the universe with humanity. He writes with concern about such issues as the Hindu revivalism in the late nineteenth century and the bondage of women. The rhythms of daily life, his rural encounters and childhood reminiscences, unfold in his tales, as does a sense of history, the reality of the political situation and its impact on individual lives. Tagore wishes to see the world of humanity not only reflected in his own life but also actualized in Bengali literature. His profound sensibility led him beyond the merely regional, his humanity stretching across east and west, fulfilling the purpose of his Jibandebata, his life's deity, Edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, a well-known scholar and translator, this is an authoritative and readable translation of Tagore's short stories. An essential Tagore for the collector, it is one that will find its place on every discerning reader's shelf.

The Sheriff's Son


William MacLeod Raine - 1917
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Finally Home


Deborah Raney - 2016
    As if life couldn’t get any more complicated for Brian, he is assigned a beautiful, sassy physical therapist who just happens to be an outspoken war protestor. Kathy Nowlin has lived her life with passion, but her passions for her career and her strong feelings about the war collide in the person of Brian Lowe. Can these two searching souls ever find common ground? Set against the nostalgic backdrop of bell-bottoms, Volkswagen Beetles, tie-dye, and rock and roll, the darker rumblings of the Vietnam War era cast their shadow as Raney's novella explores timeless questions of life, love, and faith.