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We Are Making the World a Better Place by K.I. Hope
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Where Have All The Boys Gone?
Jenny Colgan - 2005
While she's glad it's not a man's world anymore, it wouldn't hurt if there were more eligible bachelors.More likely to get murdered than married, according to gleeful media reports, Katie resigns herself to the fact that there's no sex in the city for her and decides to head for the hills - or the Scottish Highlands to be exact. Despite the fact she's never been one for muddy rain boats - and Fairlish is in the middle of nowhere - the tiny town does have one major draw - men. LOTS of them!But while Katie relishes the chance to do battle with armies of admirers, she's not excited about going head to head with her shady new boss, Harry. At least there's the local eye-candy to distract her, including gorgeous newshound Iain. But he is at loggerheads with Harry, and she can't afford to get on Harry's bad side anymore than she already has.Life in the country might not be one big roll in the hay, but now that Katie has taken the plunge, can she ever turn her back on the delights of Fairlish and return to city life. . .?©2020 Jenny Colgan (P)2020 HarperAudio
Everything Else in the World: Poems
Stephen Dunn - 2006
In his fourteenth collection of poems, Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Dunn reveals his concerns, ranging from meditations on salvation and time to the difficulties and pleasures of loving in this "already brutal century." In language that Gerald Stern has called "unbearably fearless and beautiful," Dunn continues to probe the elusive in the lives we live.
Who Is to Blame? A Russian Riddle
Jane Marlow - 2016
Set during the mid-1800s in the vast grainfields of Russia, Who Is to Blame? follows the lives of two star-crossed serfs, Elizaveta and Feodor, torn apart by their own families and the Church while simultaneously trapped in the inhumane life of poverty to which they were born.At the other end of the spectrum, Count Maximov and his family struggle to maintain harmony amidst a tapestry of deception and debauchery woven by the Count’s son. The plot twists further when the Tsar emancipates twenty million serfs from bondage as the rural gentry’s life of privilege and carelessness takes its final bow, and much of Russia’s nobility faces possible financial ruin.
Hello, Goodbye
Emily Brewin - 2017
A profoundly moving story of love during a time of great social change, with an ending that will leave you cheering. May Callaghan is seventeen years old and on her own. At least that’s how it feels.Her devoutly religious mother and her gentle but damaged father are fighting, and May's boyfriend, Sam, has left their rural hometown for Melbourne without so much as a backward glance.When May lies to her parents and takes the train to visit Sam at his shared house in Carlton, her world opens wide in glorious complexity. She is introduced to his housemates, Clancy, an indigenous university student, and Ruby, a wild bohemian. With their liberal thinking and opposition to the war in Vietnam, they are everything that May's strict Catholic upbringing should warn her against.May knows too well the toll that war has taken on her father, and the peace movement in the city has a profound effect on her. For a while, May’s future burns bright. But then it begins to unravel, and something happens to her that will change her life forever.
Carnival
Rawi Hage - 2012
Fly is a reader, too, and when he’s not in his taxi he is at home in the equally dizzying labyrinth of books that fills his tiny apartment. His best friend is Otto, a political activist who’s in and out of jails and asylums, mourning his dead wife and lost foster son. On one otherwise tawdry night Fly meets Mary, a book-loving passenger with a domineering husband. So begins a romance that is, for Fly, a brief glimmer of light amid the shadows and grit of the Carnival city.Along with Otto and Mary, Fly introduces us to madmen and revolutionaries, magicians and prostitutes as he picks them up and drops them off, traveling through a nightmarish town that is—we can’t help but notice—a parable for our own debauched, unjust world.Wildly imaginative and darkly ironic, Carnival is a magnificent achievement.
Struggles of a Dreamer: The Battle Between a Dream and Tradition
Yahaya Baruwa - 2010
You will encounter the struggles of a dreamer as he faces the challenges of the limiting boundaries of his tradition. You will laugh, cry, experience romance, be frightened, and be held in suspense as you find out how Toku'te manages to remain afloat in a world that requires everyone to fit the same mold.
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.
The Quilt
Rochelle Carlton - 2014
She is engaged to a handsome artist, lives above an windswept beach, and has a rapidly growing list of clients. But in a heartbeat everything changes, and she is left staring at an empty future. It starts with her naked fiancé disappearing in the rear-view mirror, and ends with news so devastating she collapses, sobbing, on the filthy floor of an airport toilet. It is the day that changes Joanne forever. Paul Clarke looks like a man that has stepped out of the pages of a women's magazine. He is living on Twin Pines Station, a farm shrouded in mystery following the disappearance of his grandmother. The small town community expect Paul to marry his spoilt, pregnant girlfriend, and settle in the area like the previous generations of the Clarke family. But not everything is as it appears, and life for Paul is about to be turned upside down. A tragic twist of fate brings Joanne and Paul together. But neither is looking for romance, and both are struggling with loss and the deceptions of the past. What unfolds is an unforgettable story of friendship, family and changes born through love. "This should become a TV series or a movie. It is that good in my opinion." - Mr Butler "Moving, rousing and beautifully written." - Jackie Parry "Being away from New Zealand it was such an indulgence to be given such wonderful imagery." - Meilyrox “All these threads come together in bold colors and powerful strands in Rochelle Carlton's compelling novel "The Quilt: Unraveled" to render vividly life's harsh realities in a story that is both personal and intimate.. This multi-generation family saga is immense in scope (and intense).” – Mark Fine Mature content warning. This book contains language that may offend some readers.
Untangling the Black Web
T.F. Jacobs - 2017
With his skills as a lawyer and his position inside the biggest health insurance company in America—American True Care—he plans to bring down the system, from the inside.David begins to work his way up the company while recruiting a clandestine team to build a covert case against American True Care. But this is a dangerous game and the players have ties to the highest levels of government. Propped up by lobbyists, senators, congressmen, and even the White House, American True Care will do whatever it takes to keep hold of its power.As the web of deception and danger tightens around David and his team, they begin to realize that to win they have to risk it all—even their lives.
In Search of Love
Piyushi Dhir - 2014
Nursing a broken heart, she decides to visit her parents in Ahmedabad for a short reprieve. Even as she struggles to resign herself to a marriage ‘arranged’ by her parents, she runs into their neighbour’s attractive son.Parth is more than happy to spend time in his own company, in the comforts of his ‘resort’. His plan to take some time off before he plunges head long into his career lands him in front of a lovely girl. The pain in her eyes belies her warm smile and he finds himself irresistibly drawn to her. Yet he knows that this cannot end well, for any intimacy with her is forbidden.Fate plays a cruel trick with Ayesha when it ends her search for love in a cul-de-sac, a point of no return. Ayesha is distraught when she realizes that the one person she has finally fallen in love with, is not hers to be had. They part ways with memories that will return to haunt them and questions that will remain unanswered, until another tryst, seven years later on the other side of the world.
Forever Across the Marsh
Jeff Pearson - 2018
Featured by Savannah Morning News, Live 5 WCSC Charleston, and many others, this #1 Amazon Best Seller delivers a NEW & DIFFERENT book for the OPEN and CURIOUS mind. Loved by those who enjoy the works of Mark Twain, Erma Bombeck, and Bill Bryson."WOW! What a book! I read about 10 books a month and this one was by far one of the best I have read. I laughed, I cried and even got mad. This is a great read!"GOOGLE "Best Southern Fiction" and you'll likely find this near the top of Amazon's latest list, often before Oprah's Book Club books.The two award-winning narrators couldn’t get through it without breaking down. “I was sobbing and ugly crying by the end. It was an incredibly beautiful story,” - Joe Hempel (Winner of 2018 Listeners Choice Award). “I had to stop and walk away. I couldn’t finish ONE page.”FROM THE AUTHOR: Readers often ask, "Why did you write this book?" First, I wanted to contribute something very different to literature, combining wit and depth as part of a powerful story. I chose to intertwine short stories in a way that converges at the end as part of a single story. I know of no books that have done this (and I get both criticism and praise for trying this approach). For sure, the book is like no others. Second, I wrote it at a time when my family was experiencing tragedy. We were also adjusting from military life and trying to raise three young children. In short, it was chaos. It took that experience for me to realize just how many parents live, at times, in total chaos. I was not alone. Humor (sometimes the only medicine) helped us get through our trials—that and treating others with respect and kindness, which is almost always returned. Anyway, that's the short version. I hope you take a chance on this new and different type of story. Best, JeffTHE STORY: It's a tale about the power of hope and the importance of knowing what matters most. But that’s not all. There are dark forces about the marsh. Melvin Scott (a family man) and others can feel their presence. Scott doesn’t realize he’s on a collision course with a long dormant fear. After an unexpected encounter with a bully from his childhood, Scott senses that he must once again face that enemy from his past. But this time, they’re not children anymore.Connect Savannah News & Opinion: "The magic of the marsh is on full display in Forever Across The Marsh. Truly, the book is unique in that it deftly weaves seemingly separate stories together into one story. Humor is a major part of Forever Across The Marsh, but that’s just one factor. . . .The book also rolls in some deeper meanings. . . ."While Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil shines on the city of Savannah, Forever Across The Marsh turns its gaze on the vast, alluring marsh. Simply put, there is nothing like this genre-defying novel. Forever Across The Marsh is an experience.What People Are Saying"I’ve been a reader my entire life. Couldn't put it down. Bet you can't either. The author has successfully woven an inspiring, relatable, serious and funny tale that makes you NEED to know the outcome. And probably the most successful part of this book is the humor." - Mike"I haven't laughed that much in years and I read this until 5:00 in the morning for I just couldn't stop reading and I am a 87 year OLD woman." - Nan"I was given this book as a Christmas gift... She said it 'spoke' to her and after reading a few lines she knew she had found my gift. This author has done an amazing job weaving a story that I couldn't put down. He took me on an emotional roller coaster from laughing out loud to someone must have been cutting onions nearby. I LOVED it, incredible fun, and I'm truly grateful to my daughter-in-law and Mr. Pearson for a 5 star gift!" - Dave
Rockadoon Shore
Rory Gleeson - 2017
DanDan is struggling with the death of his ex, Lucy is drinking way too much and Steph has become closed off. A weekend away is just what they need. They travel out to Rockadoon Lodge, to the wilds in the west of Ireland. But the weekend doesn't go to plan. JJ is more concerned with getting high than spending time with them, while Merc is humiliated and seeks revenge. And when their elderly neighbour Malachy arrives on their doorstep in the dead of night with a gun in his hands, nothing will be the same again for any of them . . .Honest, moving and human, Rockadoon Shore is a novel about friendship and youth, about missed opportunities and lost love, and about the realities of growing up and growing old in modern-day Ireland. Highly energetic and tensely humorous, it heralds a new and exciting voice in contemporary Irish fiction.
Seduction
Geneva Holliday - 2008
That is, until Tony wants to pull a scam on the company where she works. In order to keep Mildred signing phony documents, Tony gives Mildred a taste of romance and keeps raising the stakes until he’s eventually forced to propose. But when the big day arrives he skips town with the money he’s stolen.Heartbroken, Mildred takes a trip to Barbados where her “vacation” turns out to be a boot-camp style weight loss clinic! Soon she discovers a goddess that had been hiding beneath her homely exterior. And when she runs into Tony on the island, he doesn’t even recognize the sexy fox standing before him. Little does he know that this fox has a plan for revenge that will leave him whimpering with his tail between his legs for a good, long time.
Fresh off the Starship
Ann Crawford - 2018
Join her on this whimsical journey as she discovers the beauty of life and love on Earth.Author Ann Crawford's trademark optimism brings us a witty and wise book filled with memorable characters and insights into what makes us all so very human.
The Invasive
Michael Hodges - 2016
Things no man has seen before haunt the woods. Strange animal species creep behind pine trees, some of them with flashing red tags that blink faster and faster. Giant birds mimic the sound of humans and lord over the sky. Leaf-shaped creatures attack anything that moves and flash vivid colors across their glistening backs. As Bishop and his companions scramble across the Montana wilderness, they find human remains and animal carcasses littering the woods. The small town of Elmore is empty, the windows broken and streaked with blood. Trout Bridge-their only way out-is blocked by abandoned cars, none that were inbound. With the strange animals species closing in, Bishop realizes his group must take a stand. He's got a plan, and maybe they've got one last shot before the invasive species spread to the rest of the U.S.