Book picks similar to
At the Center by Dorothy Van Soest


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The Forced Redundancy Film Club


Brian Finnegan - 2012
    This is a novel about unlikely friendship, coping with unexpected change, coming to terms with your past and facing new beginnings.

Eye Against Eye


Forrest Gander - 2005
    The three long poems in Eye Against Eye convey the wrought particulars of intimate human relations, perceptions of the landscape, and the historical moment, tense with political exigencies. Mayan ruins invoke the collapsing Twin Towers, love between parents and child blister with tension, and a bicycle thief shatters the narcotic illusion of a private accord. Also contained is Late Summer Entry, a series of poetic commentaries on Sally Mann's landscape photographs. Eye Against Eye, Forrest Gander's third book with New Directions, cries out an ethical concern for the ways we see each other and the world, the potential to share a vision that acknowledges our commonality. As always with Gander's poetry, suspensions and repetitions drive toward a complex emotional experience, evoking the multifaceted, multi-vocal surge of our present.

The Rocking R Ranch


Tim Washburn - 2020
    . . THE LEGEND BEGINS When the Ridgeway family staked their claim on more than 40,000 acres of land in northwest Texas, they knew they had their work cut out for them. Located on a sharp bend of the treacherous Red River, their new home—the Rocking R Ranch—was just a stone’s throw away from Indian territory. It was as lawless and wild as the West itself, crawling with unsavory characters, cattle rustlers, horse thieves, outlaws, robbers, and worse. But still, the Ridgeways were determined to make the Rocking R a success—and a home—for their four remarkable children: Percy, Eli, Abigail, and Rachel. This is their story. Together, the Ridgeways could endure anything. Floods, tornadoes, Commanche raids in the dead of night. But when one of their own is kidnapped . . . that’s when all hell breaks loose. This is their story. The story of the American West.

The Father-Daughter Club


Alison Ragsdale - 2014
    Traveling through Greece and Italy, they plan to indulge David’s love of classical architecture, celebrate his retirement, and heal the wounds his recent affair caused to their marriage. When their daughter Kate, an engineering professor and the apple of David’s eye, turns up in Athens unannounced to tell them that she is in love with Charlotte Macfie, a talented patisserie chef, things quickly go awry. Unable to cope with Kate’s revelation, David withdraws, and Elizabeth is forced to take on the uncharted role of mediator, between the formerly inseparable father and daughter. When tragedy strikes, the Fredericks' must find a way to put their differences aside and build a newly structured family.

Men Like Air


Tom Connolly - 2016
    Nineteen-year-old Finn has just arrived in the city with his irrepressible and volatile girlfriend, Dilly, determined to even the score with his older brother Jack for abandoning him in the UK in the aftermath of their parents’ deaths. Across town, successful gallery owner Leo Emerson is haunted by loneliness, unsettled by the contrast between his life and that of his brother-in-law and oldest friend Isidor, who is enviably contented in his faith and his marriage. When Finn wanders into Leo’s gallery, a series of unexpected and interconnected events unfold, changing the lives of all four men, for better or worse. Leo and Isidor’s settled existences are overturned by events outside of their control, while Jack and Finn’s complex relationship reaches its long overdue showdown. Beautifully orchestrated and richly comic, Men Like Air explores the romance and solitude of cosmopolitan life, the transformative power of art, and the impact we have on one another’s lives—and what happens when the ties that bind us are tested or broken. It is an intense and uplifting story of growth and renewal, mapping the complex workings of the human heart across the streets of New York City.

Family Secrets


Jayant Swamy - 2020
    At a prominent showroom in downtown Bangalore. A pregnant woman swoons. Glittering crystals disperse. Chaos reigns. Siddhartha, English teacher-turned-conman, pulls off a diamond heist. With unconditional support from his theatre-artiste wife. Abhimanyu, the authoritarian business baron, retaliates. With a policy master stroke that will push Siddhartha into financial jeopardy. And renew Siddhartha’s streak to wreak vengeance. A devious plot unfolds. Involving the royal heirloom belonging to Abhimanyu. Provoked beyond limits, Abhimanyu pulls out all the stops. Even as he confronts the identity conflicts of a hitherto unknown son that has appeared. Stage-managed bank deposits. Orchestrated raid. A hostile alliance. Until he faces a sordid truth revealed by the blue-blooded mother he worships. How does this dynastic drama play out?

The Last Wild Rhino: An African Adventure Story


Tony Maxwell - 2017
    A war that ranges from the dry bushveld of Southern Africa to the capitals of Europe and the Middle East, to the sweltering cities of Southeast Asia. Worth more than gold, heroin or cocaine, the rhino's horn, meant for protection, is the catalyst behind their relentless struggle to save this species from eventual extinction.

Lawyers Gone Bad


Vincent L. Scarsella - 2014
    In this case they’re investigating the local District Attorney, who may have committed the ultimate ethical wrong - murder.Novelist Vincent Scarsella draws on his over 18 years of real life experience as head of the Eighth Judicial District Grievance Committee in Buffalo, New York to craft a gripping, suspenseful novel about lawyers gone bad.But the story is more than a crime novel. It concerns friendship, loss, unrequited love, and ultimately, justice. It seeks to answer the question, does what goes around, come around?

Stories I Tell On Dates


Paul Shirley - 2017
    Sometimes we tell these stories to make people laugh. Sometimes we tell them to make people think. Sometimes we tell them so we can increase the chances we'll see the other person naked.Paul Shirley's stories are about an adulthood spent all over the world: living in Spain, playing in the NBA, and having his heart (and spleen) broken. But they're also stories about growing up in small-town Kansas: triumphant spelling bees, catastrophic middle school dances, and a Sex Ed. class taught by his mother.They're funny stories. They're vulnerable stories. Most of all, they're universal stories, just as the stories we tell on dates should be.

Lime Kiln Road


S.L. Shelton - 2018
    All of the victims share a dark secret that dies with them. No one survives... Not until seventeen-year-old Gee.Drugged and wounded, Georgia escapes painting a bloody trail in the snow behind her. In the process of dragging herself to safety, she’s able to save the life of a second teenage victim, Josie. But the first survivors of the maniacal murderer leave detectives with more questions than answers.Gee’s memory blocks may hold the key to stopping a killer who has taken the lives of 12 people. As all parties struggle to find the missing pieces, the killer’s timeline is escalating and he’s straying from his pattern. Can the two victims team up with a local detective to stop the Catoctin Creek killer’s deadly spree? Or won’t they be as lucky the second time around?“A taut game of cat and mouse played on a razor’s edge. One where you’re never sure who is the cat and who is the mouse. Lime Kiln Road comes at you like that car in your rearview mirror that’s been following you for too long, the one that keeps inching closer until it’s riding your bumper and there’s no escape.”~Matthew FitzSimmonsUSA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Authorof The Short Drop, Poisonfeather, and Cold HarborThis novel was originally soft released in September 2018 with a title of Broken Betties. Content, book matter, cover, and title have been updated.

Direct Hits Core Vocabulary of the SAT


Direct Hits - 2008
    This book includes the following features:- Selective vocabulary found on recent SATs and PSATs used in context. No more memorizing the definitions of long lists of seemingly random words in a vacuum.- Relevant, vivid, and memorable examples from pop culture, historic events, literature, and contemporary issues.- Six easy-to-tackle chapters- A Fast Review for each chapter, with quick definitions- A Final Review with sentence completion questions just like real SATs and PSATs, including complete solution explanationsBuilding on the success of previous editions, the authors of "Direct Hits Core Vocabulary of the SAT" consulted secondary school teachers, tutors, parents, and students from around the world to ensure that these words and illustrations are on target to prepare you for success on the SAT. You will find that the process is effective, worthwhile, and even fun!

Lucifer's Son


Sergey Mavrodi - 2008
    the world of angels and devils, of Lucifer and Lucifer's son, the world of temptation and seduction in his latest masterpiece of deviltry and suspense. In a world of horror and fear that is almost too realistic to be fiction, Mavrodi's characters burst from the pages, come alive and open up their innermost beings... revelations that will shock and astound the reader, who--while filled with fear and anxiety--will be unable to put LUCIFER'S SON down until the last terrifying scene.

The Big Book of Dumb White Husband


Benjamin Wallace - 2012
    He's confronted the HOA. He's even taken on Santa himself. He doesn't usually win. These are the tales of the Dumb White Husband and they are all available here in this collected edition.This handsome volume includes:Dumb White Husband vs. the Grocery Store - John would rather sit and watch the game, but his wife needs some things at the store. Can he complete the list and get back in time to see the end of the game?Dumb White Husband vs. Halloween - Every Halloween, Chris has the scariest house on the block and gives out the best candy. But, this year, someone is showing him up and he'll stop at nothing to find out who.Dumb White Husband vs. Santa - Erik has planned the perfect Christmas for his family. The plan is foolproof, bulletproof and flame retardant. Nothing can undo the hours of planning and preparation. Nothing except maybe odd-shaped packages, ill-timed fruitcakes or an errant neighborhood Santa Claus.Dumb White Husband vs. the Tooth Fairy - Erik always has a plan and he's sure he would have figured out the whole Tooth Fairy thing eventually. But, when his three-year-old son takes a frisbee to the mouth, he's forced to speed things up. Between neighborhood kids with big mouths and unhelpful dentists he's going to need to improvise. Will he bend to the pressure of inflation? Will he get caught in the act? And, what do you do with those teeth anyway?Dumb White Husband for President (A novella) - There comes a time in every man's life when he must stand for the things he believes in. John doesn't believe in bagging his grass. So, when a new allergy-prone neighbor gets the HOA to require it, there's only one thing he can do - run for President of The Creeks of Sage Valley Phase II.John, Chris and Erik put aside most of their differences to run a campaign that they hope will see John elected as President and end the meddling of the rule-loving new kid on the block. Will they succeed? It's doubtful.

Overdose


Glen Apseloff - 2013
    Emily Morrison undertakes a controversial drug study over protests from fringe groups and even some colleagues. Soon she’s facing death threats and a letter bomb that maims her secretary. Then a young coed suddenly dies after taking the experimental medication. Emily figures out what killed the girl—not the study drug but DIFP, a toxic chemical from her lab. A diabetic, Emily discovers the same toxin in her insulin. But when the police find a bottle of DIFP in Emily’s office, she suddenly changes from victim to suspect.Then a professional killer comes after her, and he eliminates anyone who gets in the way. Emily knows she must confront this stalker on her terms, but she’ll have to do it without help, using only the element of surprise. And that’s just her first step in uncovering the truth – she needs to find out who hired the killer before someone else tries to finish what he started."An intriguing thriller set against a backdrop of clinical drug tests and medical research." — Kirkus Reviews

Mayhem, Murder and the PTA


Dave Cravens - 2019
    When a key source vanishes on a politically toxic story, this single mother of three finds herself at the center of a media storm and out of a job. Ready to reset, Parker moves her family back to the rural town where she grew up. But a gossip-filled PTA, a tyrannical school principal and a gruesome murder make adjusting to the "simple life" anything but. Parker Monroe is about to chase the story of her lifetime...