Book picks similar to
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The Ha-Ha


Dave King - 2005
    Rendered unable to speak, read, or write after a Vietnam War injury thirty years earlier, Howard Kapostash feels trapped by his disability until his high school sweetheart, recently forced into rehab, asks him to care for her nine-year-old son.

Icy Sparks


Gwyn Hyman Rubio - 1998
    Gwyn Hyman Rubio’s beautifully written first novel revolves around Icy Sparks, an unforgettable heroine in the tradition of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird or Will Treed in Cold Sassy Tree. At the age of ten, Icy, a bright, curious child orphaned as a baby but raised by adoring grandparents, begins to have strange experiences. Try as she might, her "secrets"—verbal croaks, groans, and physical spasms—keep afflicting her. As an adult, she will find out she has Tourette’s Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, but for years her behavior is the source of mystery, confusion, and deep humiliation.Narrated by a grown up Icy, the book chronicles a difficult, but ultimately hilarious and heartwarming journey, from her first spasms to her self-acceptance as a young woman. Curious about life beyond the hills, talented, and energetic, Icy learns to cut through all barriers—physical, mental, and spiritual—in order to find community and acceptance.

Appetite


Sheila Grinell - 2016
    Her father, Paul, is wary of this beggar Jenn has brought home who, he suspects, is conning his much-loved daughter while her mother, Maggie, is frightened that this alien stranger will steal away her only child, her focus in life. In the months leading up to the backyard wedding, Maggie is forced to reevaluate her virtues as she casts about for support, and Paul faces an unexpected threat at work one that Maggie could help him meet, if he would only ask. But even with these distractions, the two parents are focused on one primary question: Can they convince their daughter she is making a terrible mistake before the wedding takes place?

The Pecan Man


Cassie Dandridge Selleck - 2012
    The neighborhood children call him the Pee-can Man; their mothers call them inside whenever he appears. When the police chief's son is found stabbed to death near his camp, the man Ora knows as Eddie is arrested and charged with murder. Twenty-five years later, Ora sets out to tell the truth about the Pecan Man. In narrating her story, Ora discovers more truth about herself than she could ever have imagined. This novel has been described as To Kill a Mockingbird meets The Help.

Before Scarlett: Girlhood Writings of Margaret Mitchell


Margaret Mitchell - 2000
    The Mitchell family lived in a sprawling, two-story Victorian home with a deep, cool porch where Margaret liked to sit and read. When she was 12, Margaret's family moved to a Colonial Revival-style mansion situated on a fashionable stretch of Peachtree Street. The budding writer made fast friends with a tight-knit group of boys and girls in her new neighbourhood and school, and many of her writings were about the exploits of her gang. Later, at the Washington Seminary, school for girls, Mitchell was president of the literary society, literary editor of the yearbook, and acted in several drama club productions. 'It's really amazing, the way Margaret could write without making corrections, even at such a young age.' says Eskridge. 'She was just a wonderful storyteller, and this collection fleshes in parts of her life that nobody has ever had access to before.I think it will inspire many people to go back and read 'G one With the Wind', and learn more about Mitchell as a person. I especially hope young adults enjoy the book, too and draw inspiration from Margaret's early frustrations vis-a-vis the ultimate success she enjoyed. Hopefully, this collection will inspire the next Margaret Mitchell.'

Breaking Jess


H.B. Moore - 2018
    He hid her away from society so she couldn’t turn him in. But, in the end, he couldn’t hide her forever. USA Today bestselling author H.B. Moore brings you the psychological suspense novel: BREAKING JESS More thrillers & suspense novels by H.B. Moore: Poetic Justice Finding Sheba Lost King Slave Queen The Killing Curse About the author: H.B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author, 6-time Best of State Winner, 4-time Whitney Award Winner, and 3-time Rone Award Winner. She's repped by Dystel, Goderich & Bourett

The Line That Held Us


David Joy - 2018
    Worse yet, he’s killed a Brewer, a family notorious for vengeance and violence. With nowhere to turn, Darl calls on the help of the only man he knows will answer, his best friend, Calvin Hooper. But when Dwayne Brewer comes looking for his missing brother and stumbles onto a blood trail leading straight back to Darl and Calvin, a nightmare of revenge rips apart their world. The Line That Held Us is a story of friendship and family, a tale balanced between destruction and redemption where the only hope is to hold on tight, clenching to those you love. What will you do for the people who mean the most, and what will you grasp to when all that you have is gone? The only certainty in a place so shredded is that no one will get away unscathed.

Putney Bridge


Helen Ryan - 2015
     Her two daughters, from a previous relationship, are now both adult. Jo, ambitious and independent, is pursuing a career as a barrister. Jo’s younger sister is very different. Shelley, just 20, sweet natured, trusting and innocent, still lives at home and works at a local animal clinic. They are a normal, happy family - and then Shelley meets Sam on the street and everything changes. Martha struggles to accept Shelley’s choice of boyfriend as, with increasing anger, she witnesses the erosion of all Shelley’s values under Sam’s influence. When Martha’s efforts to persuade Shelley to give Sam up fail, she decides on a more direct approach. The consequences of her actions are devastating for everyone and change the course of Martha’s life forever. “After I’d gone up to bed that night, leaving Gabe amidst the carnage I had created in the living room, I formulated my plan. But it was pure chance that I met Sam on Putney Bridge some three weeks later and I went ahead with it.”

Hungarian Dances


Jessica Duchen - 2008
    Instead, she's a teacher, a mum and wife to Julian, a very English husband. When disaster befalls her best friend, Karina feels forced to question the very foundations of her existence.

Jewel


Bret Lott - 1991
    But Brenda Kay, who was born with Down's syndrome, is also a challenge. In this inspirational and deeply moving audiobook, Jewel realizes that Brenda Kay is her special gift from God.

The Cove


Ron Rash - 2012
    Or so the townsfolk of Mars Hill believe - just as they know that Laurel Shelton, the lonely young woman who lives within its shadows, is a witch. Alone except for her brother, Hank, newly returned from the trenches of France, she aches for her life to begin. Then it happens - a stranger appears, carrying nothing but a beautiful silver flute and a note explaining that his name is Walter, he is mute, and is bound for New York. Laurel finds him in the woods, nearly stung to death by yellow jackets, and nurses him back to health. As the days pass, Walter slips easily into life in the cove and into Laurel's heart, bringing her the only real happiness she has ever known. But Walter harbors a secret that could destroy everything - and danger is closer than they know. Though the war in Europe is near its end, patriotic fervor flourishes thanks to the likes of Chauncey Feith, an ambitious young army recruiter who stokes fear and outrage throughout the county. In a time of uncertainty, when fear and ignorance reign, Laurel and Walter will discover that love may not be enough to protect them. This lyrical, heart-rending tale, as mesmerizing as its award-winning predecessor Serena, shows once again this masterful novelist at the height of his powers.

Losing Graceland


Micah Nathan - 2010
    He has just graduated from college with a useless degree, has gotten dumped by his longtime girlfriend, and is still mourning his father, who died in a freak accident. Yet Ben finds himself in for more than he expected, as the old man who placed the ad seems to be a still-living Elvis who leads Ben on a 900-mile journey to Memphis in search of his granddaughter. Along the way they brawl with biker gangs, consult a backwoods oracle, rescue a hooker named Ginger from her one-eyed pimp, and ultimately find some answers about themselves and their place in the world.

St. Dale


Sharyn McCrumb - 2005
    The “Number Three Pilgrims” travel to several of the sites of prominent victories of the late NASCAR legend and North Carolina native. In the course of their journey they visit Piedmont North Carolina, “the land of textile mills and furniture factories, of tobacco fields and hog farms — and race tracks.” At stops at the Richard Petty museum in Randolph County, the North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, and the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, the pilgrims find solace and inspiration in the life and legacy of Earnhardt.

The Girl in the Ragged Shawl


Cathy Sharp - 2018
    At eleven years-old, she has survived sickness, near starvation and harsh beatings.Master Simpkins and his cruel daughter rule the workhouse with a rod of iron, but when Romany boy, Joe, arrives at the workhouse, his spirit and courage give Eliza hope that another life is waiting for her outside.When she is sold into service, Eliza is relieved to be out of the workhouse and hopes her fortunes are changing for the better, but cruelty and unkindness are everywhere and her salvation could become her ruin…

A Love So Special


Deepak Srivastava - 2020
    Neha has put at stake her own self to support her family. When they meet, it’s like they are the missing pieces of each other’s life-puzzles.With time, their children Riya and Raghu complete their happiness. Raghu is a specially-abled child and thinks his father is a superhero. But one fateful day, Raghu goes missing.The quest for Raghu takes Nikhil on an unexpected journey through the sea of his emotions, and into his past. When he finally locates Raghu, he has to choose between life and death to be united to his son.Will he prove himself to be a superhero for his son? Or will history repeat itself to rob him of his loved ones?This thrilling tale of determination and love shows the depths to which a parent will go for A Love So Special.