Book picks similar to
Initiation by Phil M. Williams


young-adult
sports
amazon-dowloaded
01-books

Spit of a Minute


Linda Dickson - 2013
    Her aging parents have already slipped into a great depression of their own. Her brothers named her 'Queenie' and it stuck. Queenie steps from the barn to welcome a man from a neighboring farm. A frustrated man drunk on corn liquor and rage.Three children, an alcoholic husband and a monkey later, she's living in the city and struggling to keep a clean house and beans on the stove when the "Eye-talian" pilot from New York City asks her opinion on fryer hens in the grocery. He's smooth. He takes her to places with white table cloths.World War II deploys the pilot to Europe and Queenie to the Big Apple. Survival on the streets of NYC for Queenie and her baby girl, Abba Gee, is a war story of another kind. Queenie makes decisions without options. Her's is a story of what can happen to any of us if we are not paying attention."Told from a Southern point of view, funny, sad, and partially true. Queenie is the grandmother I did not know. A lifetime of rumors and over heard gossip painted this character. Others speak of grandmothers who smelled of talcum powder and passed on receipes while Queenie's legacy echos stories of grit and how life can change in the Spit of a Minute.""Dickson's language is palpably evocative of the period--you could vividly imagine the scenes in sepia, peopled by those long-ago characters that now only exist as memory.""Dickson writes with a relaxed, leisurely cadence with confidence in her own literary powers. She effectively simulates the feel and mood of the South, as well as the hustle and bustle of the city--something about the writing, not the plot, that reminds me so much of Harper Lee's classic `To Kill a Mockingbird.'"Dickson's compelling narrative subtly shifts in tone and texture according to the changes in time, and this is one of the qualities in her writing that makes me hope she actually writes more, and soon."

Creation


Greg Chase - 2016
    So when he’s offered a job repairing a derelict spaceship’s computer, he jumps at the chance to head to the Kuiper Belt, an area at the edge of the solar system reviled for its lawlessness and tenuous ability to sustain life. But the repair proves difficult, and the pirates who hired Sam leave him to die in the computer’s core. Fortunately, the inhabitants of a utopian village rescue him and show him that human relationships can be more open and connected once Earth habits have been broken. He’s content to live the rest of his days away from Earth until he learns his work on the spaceship inadvertently created a new, all-knowing—but misguided—technology-based species. And their mistakes threaten to tear the very fabric of human interaction. Forced to leave his Garden of Eden on the terraformed planet, he takes his wife, Jess—his link to all he holds dear—and goes back to Earth to face his responsibilities. Before Sam and Jess can ever hope to return to their village, they have to teach the next generation of the new species how to change the direction of mankind for the better.

Long Road Home


Mary Jane Morgan - 2015
    Leaving college, she returns home to find her younger sister mute with shock, her mother too depressed to function, and their beloved Thoroughbred horse ranch on the verge of going under. She’s barely arrived when she’s forced to accept help from Brett Dawson—the man who once broke her heart—when a marauding mountain lion threatens one of the prized horses they depend on for survival. Brett would rather be anywhere but the Swearingen ranch. Caught between his feelings for Megan and the powder keg of the ongoing feud between their families, he feels his only choice is to help Megan, regardless of the consequences. If it weren’t for Brett’s father, Megan’s dad might still be alive, and she wouldn’t be here now sacrificing her future to save her family’s ranch. As the long-simmering attraction between Megan and Brett resurfaces, it is threatened almost before it begins by dark family secrets swirling around them—secrets that turn to danger and could very well destroy not only their new beginning, but the lives of everyone they both love.

The Book of Moon


George Crowder - 2016
    Not that Moon's death is imminent--far from it--but his thoughts have turned to gallows humor, as his world disintegrates along with his parents' marriage. His older brother skateboards through life with ease, but Moon is deeply troubled.Just as he is solving for romantic unknowns with a gorgeous older girl, Moon must contend with his dad's sudden absence, his mom-gone-wild's sexcapades, and his best friends' curious penchant for self-destruction. Not to mention his newfound role in agitating to end an African guerrilla's bloody rampage.To make sense of it all, Moon embarks on a quest to unravel the riddle of God's injustice to man.In this humorous and touching coming-of-age novel, Moon struggles to understand his parents--who they are, what brought them together, what broke them apart--and what that all means for his future.

Muted


L.H. Owens - 2019
    Although unable to speak since the tragedy that took place on his eighth birthday, his words reach out to people across the globe. When he learns that more than a thousand Friesian stallions are being held by the U.S. pharmaceutical company, Pilatos Industries, he knows he has to do all he can to free them. The heir to Pilatos, the cool and efficient lawyer Karen Lawford, will do everything in her power to stop him. Karen's mother, a breeder of international show jumpers, notes that, "Those stallions represent an evil at the heart of Pilatos, and one wrongdoing is usually an indication of others." The extent of that evil becomes apparent as the release date of their new drug approaches. With Pilatos relying on the success of the revolutionary Stablex, there are no limits to what they will do to ensure Lane does not interfere with the Stablex stallions, which are needed to produce the drug. Lane tries to convince Karen that the stallions at Pilatos must be given their freedom, but his beliefs are losing the battle against the Pilatos creed of greed, and it is only when she learns the shocking truth of what lies at the centre of the laboratories that any change can take place… but is it too late for Lane? Sometimes, you only know how much you love someone once you lose them. The story takes you to The Spanish Riding School, the mountains of Austria and the wilds of America and Australia as Lane tries to reawaken Karen's love of horses and bring back the colour to her grey life. He believes she is the key to saving the stallions, but, since childhood, her father has taught her to put Pilatos ahead of all else, and that loyalty appears to be an insurmountable obstacle in his mission to free the stallions. A moving love story set against the greed of the corporate world. A story that explores what is important in life as the wisdom of Lane Dimity touches all those around him. You don't need to like horses to enjoy the book, but even the most experienced horse people will appreciate the knowledge shared by Lane. Quotes from readers: "I fell in love with Lane...where can I meet him? A great love story and I learned so much about horses." "I couldn't believe what Pilatos were doing, then I looked around where I work and I realised that is exactly what they would do. Chilling, enlightening and, thankfully, uplifting." "I read it for the horses and I wasn't disappointed. Lipizzaners, Friesians, Warmbloods, mustangs and others, presented knowledgably by a writer who knows horses. It left me with a lot to think about. I loved this book."

Unleashed


Karl Hill - 2020
    But Black does not take the ambush lying down and while defending himself kills two of the three attackers. After being interviewed, the police decide not to press charges against Black. Unbeknownst to Black, the men who assaulted him have links to a vicious criminal, Peter Grant, who swears revenge.Black is not a man to mess with. But neither is Peter Grant and when he begins a campaign of terror against Black, his wife and daughter, Black refuses to be intimidated.But at what cost?

Armchair Safari


Jonathan Paul Isaacs - 2013
    . .Armchair Safari is more than a computer game to Oklahoman college student Megan Evans. It’s her livelihood. Her in-game exploits pay for her tuition, rent, and food. She usually plays solo, but when a group approaches her about a chance to find treasure beyond imagining, it’s an offer she can’t refuse.Armchair Safari is Derek Callahan’s livelihood, too, but he’s not a gamer. A former Marine turned businessman, he’s starting a new job as Netertainment’s Chief Financial Officer and just needs to make the numbers work. But when millions of dollars mysteriously disappear from the company coffers, it's a race against time to solve a problem that puts the entire company at risk.Little do Derek and Megan realize how their paths will cross in a battle between hackers, the FBI, and organized crime that is not confined to the virtual world and will leave very real casualties . . ."An action-packed adventure with a full cast of characters." - San Francisco Book Review

The Russian Renaissance


Ian Kharitonov - 2010
     Constantine can no longer hide in Europe. As he discovers a century-old secret, he must flee back to Moscow, chased by assassins. Only one man can save him. Eugene Sokolov: an officer in the world's most elite rescue unit, a martial arts legend… and Constantine's brother. They face an enemy unlike any other. In a game run by a KGB spymaster, the fate of Russia will depend on their survival.

The Farthest City


Daniel P. Swenson - 2015
    An unexpected mission changes everything. Citizen Kellen Beaudin, is a shy, sensitive artist with a different, but equally troubling past. Kellen’s origin is deeply intertwined with the machines, although he doesn’t understand how or why. He learns who he really is when his machine obsession takes him on an incredible journey. Neither Kellen or Sheemi will ever be the same.

The Culling


James Wallace - 2016
    He must overcome who he is and learn to fight for his life and lead those around him. While surviving, he finds the real reason for the Zombie outbreak and is pulled into a whole new fight. This time against a shadowy power calling themselves the Culling Initiative.

Night Hunter (The Harry Circus Mysteries #1)


E.D. Ward - 2017
    D. Ward's first novel in the Harry Circus mystery series is a story of unforgettable suspense from the dramatic opening to the bloody finish.A body is found disembowled and partially skinned on the remote blueberry barrens, north of the small town of Berryville. Tension mounts as Harry follows the scent of the murderer to the brutal end, where he discovers the long-kept secret of a mother and daughter. Available for Kindle Unlimited.

Compelled


Inge-Lise Goss - 2016
    Tests reveal that Sidney is perfectly healthy, yet the crippling pain persists until the dead woman reaches out from beyond the grave for Sidney’s help to vindicate her wrongfully imprisoned husband and to find her murderer. ˃˃˃ Ghostly Intrigue That Keeps You On The Edge Of Your Seat Desperate to remain pain-free, Sidney embarks on a mission to exonerate an innocent man. With a ruthless killer at large, she soon discovers the crime is more than a simple whodunit when dangerous scenarios unfold. The dead woman’s spirit relentlessly pushes Detective Langston to solve the crime and correct an injustice ”" or forever be tormented by an invisible bullet wound. Scroll Up And Grab Your Copy Of Compelled Today!

Pursuit


James Stewart Thayer - 1986
    . . Brutal, brisk, and believable . . . . The finale sings." -- New York Daily News.A strategy born of desperation: an assassination to end the war. Only one event can turn the tide. Hitler believes that the death of one man—Franklin Delano Roosevelt—will save Nazi Germany. From a prisoner of war camp near Fort Lewis, Washington, where 50,000 German soldiers are interned, Wehrmacht Captain Kurt Monck—a man of frightening resources with ruthless intelligence whose devious determination is sparked by Berlin’s orders via secret channels to escape the camp and head east. Monck’s trail is picked up by U.S. Secret Service agent John Wren, who hunts Monck as the German nears Franklin Roosevelt’s armored train en route to the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Monck’s only aid comes from his reluctant accomplice Margaret Bayerlein, a widow who provokes a haunting triangular relationship. Pursuit evokes the American home front during the war, as well as historic figures such as J. Edgar Hoover and President Roosevelt. The manhunt crosses the country, and Monck, Wren, and Roosevelt finally meet in an electrifying conclusion.Heart-pounding suspense for readers who love the taut thrillers of Jeffrey Deaver and Frederick Forsyth.“I simply could not put it down.” -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Call of the Herald


Brian Rathbone - 2008
    Echoes of the ancients' power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind's deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war.

The Bug Out: A Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival Thriller


Nick Oetken - 2019
     As Atlanta descends into a war zone, the trio quickly realize that the grid has also gone down across the entire United States... and they find themselves caught completely off guard with no one else to help them other than each other. With society crumbling fast around them and armed gangs taking control of the streets, Holly, Matthew, and Elizabeth decide that their only hope is to bug out to Holly's grandfather's isolated cabin in the lush Blue Ridge Mountains to the north, seemingly the only place of refuge or peace in a world that has turned into an earthly version of hell. But getting out of the rapidly decaying Atlanta will be anything but easy, and with powerful gangs and dangerous thugs around seemingly every street corner, the survival of Holly, Matthew, and Elizabeth or even the hope that they can stick together are far from guaranteed. The Bug Out is the thrilling and action packed story of Holly's attempt to bug out to safety with her two best friends, and is a perfect read for fans of fast paced and exciting apocalyptic fiction.