Book picks similar to
Slivers Of Life by Beem Weeks


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A Gangsta's Son


Rio - 2013
    “You know I just worked a twelve-hour shift. Gotta get me right before I go to sleep.” He smiled his ugly smile and opened the screen door. “I’ll take you shoppin’ when I wake up; spend a couple bands on you.”He put his key in the lock and turned it… But the door was snatched open before Mone’s hand could even reach the doorknob.Lacresha’s eyes opened wide with fear as she witnessed a tall masked man step from behind the door and raise a gun to Mone’s face.“Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it?” The masked man stated coldly.

The Novels of D.E. Stevenson


D.E. Stevenson - 2019
     This box set brings together three of D. E. Stevenson's most popular standalone novels: Still Glides the Stream, The Blue Sapphire and The House on the Cliff. Each book tells the story of their heroines with poignancy and grace, while the loves they experience are as fierce and unforgiving as the bleak Scottish highlands they inhabit. Perfect for fans of the Brontë sisters, see why D. E. Stevenson has amassed her own cult following with this collection.

My Name Is Saul: A Novel of the Ancient World


Lin Wilder - 2020
    I will wage war against these Christians, and I will emerge victorious. My name is Saul."St. Paul the Apostle is a towering biblical figure, but almost nothing is known about his early life as Saul of Tarsus.As death loomed over him at Mamertine Prison in Rome, under the watchful eye of his jailer and final follower Aurelius, he wrote: I will die tomorrow. In the morning, around sunrise.There are two things for which I am eminently grateful: That I have been permitted to have fought the good fight and finished the race marked out for me; and that I will not have to endure another winter in this place.Starting from that pivotal moment, blending historical fact with audacious creativity, the author of the award-winning I, Claudia propels us back through the life of the man who would become St. Paul. Her vividly imagined, well-founded tale of loss, transformation, and divine intervention will captivate believers and non-believers alike who yearn for the human truth and drama behind the scriptures. "I am convinced that Saul is a man for our times," explains Wilder, "primarily because he was interested in just one thing: truth."

Neela Scarf


Anu Singh Choudhary
    The stories range from both urban and rural settings. All the stories included in the book are different from each other with a range of diverse characters. Some of the stories in this selection are Mukti, Kuch Yun hona Uska, Cigarette Ka Aakhri Kash, and Bisesar Bo Ki Premika. This book will make for a riveting and engaging read for those who enjoy Hindi short stories.

When the Yellow Mocker Calls (Two Feather's Legacy Book 1)


Lila M Beckham - 2016
    However, Charity soon discovers that her grandfather’s objective in making this trip is to get her married off and settled somewhere. Since her beloved grandmother’s passing several months earlier, her grandfather has worried about what would become of Charity should he, too, pass away. And, given his advanced age, he somehow senses that time is near; he does not want to die and leave young Charity alone and desolate. He and his wife reared Charity after her mother and father both died in a yellow fever epidemic when she was 3 years old. As they travel to Fort Charlotte, her grandfather tells her that before going to Fort Charlotte they will be making an overnight stop at his friend’s house. And, that a year or so earlier, he and his long-time friend, Eli Gulledge, talked about what would happen to Charity should both he and his wife pass away and have arranged for Charity and Eli’s son Henry to meet before that time comes to see if they will take a liking to one another. When Charity, who has never met Eli or his family, hears that, she threatens to act rude in order to make them not like her so that she can go back home with him, but her grandfather tells her that she cannot go back home with him and assures her that if young Henry doesn’t take a liking to her, he is sure that some young buck down in Fort Charlotte will be looking for a wife. Faced with the stark realization that her life is changing and she has no control of that change, many thoughts run through young Charity’s mind- she even contemplates running away, but doesn’t want to leave her grandfather alone. When her grandfather suddenly passes away that night at Eli’s house, that threat never comes to fruition. Young, Charity is forced to abide by her grandfather’s wishes and stay there with Eli’s family… When the Yellow Mocker Calls is based on my great-great-grandmother’s life; her spiritual journey, her never ending quest for knowledge, her love of family and storytelling, and, most importantly, her love for Henry…

The Broken (Forbidden Amish Love Book 1)


Tattie Maggard - 2017
    One forbidden romance. Amish school teacher, Emily Graber, is falling for a man who's been married before. The rules of the Swiss Amish community say he's forbidden to remarry, only someone forgot to tell Emily's heart. Book one of the Forbidden Amish Love series. The story continues in book two, The Forbidden. Watch for the dramatic conclusion in book three, The Secret.

The Last Patient


David Johnson - 2018
    But what the two of them discover is a secret that has been hidden from them their whole lives, a secret that once discovered changes both of them forever.The Last Patient is a story about regret, truth, and redemption.David Johnson, author of the best-selling Tucker series and The Woodcutter’s Wife brings us another of his trademark “books with heart.” The Last Patient is a book that will leave you thinking long after you’ve finished reading it.

Yes, And


Cindy Gunderson - 2020
    Yes, she is old. Yes, she sometimes forgets where she put her glasses, or her heart medication. But doesn't everyone? That doesn't give workers--paid to assist her, mind you--the right to rifle through her personal belongings, or "accidentally" forget something of hers in their pocket. It definitely does not give them the right to embezzle thousands of dollars from her family trust.Just when she is most desperate, a young neighbor takes her by surprise. Bonding over their shared love of soap operas, Jo and Toby engage in old-school reconnaissance to find answers. Together, they brave roller skates, walks along uneven ground, and even downtown parking on what may be Jo's most exciting adventure in forty years."Yes, And" is a feel-good story that explores the hearts of two misunderstood, kindred spirits, connected just when they need each other most.

Pure Slaughter Value: Stories


Robert Bingham - 1997
    Bingham's strange sense of morbid fancy collides with a gutsy realism; the result is splendid wreckage: a young man is seduced by his first cousin (or maybe it's the other way around) at her brother's wake ("The Other Family"); a bored couple plot to kill a man during their ski-resort honeymoon ("Marriage Is Murder"); a yuppie banker risks his whole perfect life for an affair with a junkie ("The Fixers"); an insurance-company bounty hunter tracks down walk-aways from drug and alcohol rehab ("Preexisting Condition"); and in the title story, an eleven-year-old boy is caught at the exquisitely uneasy intersection of the safety of childhood play and the pain of grown-up love and longing.These lean, potent stories are utterly original, and yet by turns recall Salinger, in their intellectual acuity, emotional depth, and wicked, dark humor; Fitzgerald, in their vivid chronicling of a new, restless social elite; and the work of "transgressive" writers, in their pervasive sense of the imminent possibility of danger and violence, even in the most civilized surroundings. Above all, the stories in Pure Slaughter Value mark the debut of a striking new literary voice--unsparing, bold, ironic, and true--that will haunt us for a long time to come.

The Greatest Game


Greg Rajaram
    The price we paid for becoming intelligent was to become painfully ignorant of the difference between good and evil.Adi, a 10-year-old boy, works together with two old philosophers as they try to unravel the prophecy of a promised King. With insatiable curiosity, Adi must work with the wise men as they rationalize with each other on why and how humans became intelligent. Together they attempt to answer some of the most profound questions related to existence. Does evolution end with human beings or is there an ‘Overman’ who can reach evolution’s pinnacle? Will this Overman be able to define values for humankind?Centuries later a young boy promises his mother that he will always uphold the love that she has taught him. It is a promise that drowns him in the nectar of the gods. Krish grows up to be an engineer and joins a team of scientists as they try to create artificial consciousness in a machine.Krish soon realizes that he has a bigger fight on his hands. A fight to preserve love in a desolate world. His quest for true love ultimately leads him down a path where he comes face to face with a fearsome snake delivering a kiss of death.Humans have come a long way by questioning the nature of objects around us and pushing the limits of our intelligence, but it’s now time that we ask the greatest question yet: when does intelligence transcend to become consciousness?

Iron Butterfly


Lisa Wainland - 2015
    At twenty-nine, she receives sudden, life-changing news. She realizes that her everyday life with her fiancé, Jake, was pretty amazing. Who cares about a sarcastic boss or a promotion when losing everything has become a terrifying reality? Cassie’s shocking news infiltrates the lives of everyone she loves, particularly Jake and her estranged sister, Sandy. Jake wants to be strong for Cassie, but this unexpected turn brings back painful memories—and a terrible secret he’s shared with no one. Sandy, who ran away to pursue stardom, is called home to face those she left behind. The golden child of the family, Sandy fell from her pedestal long ago. Will she be able to face her own failures? As Cassie struggles against an uncertain future, Jake and Sandy battle with the demons of the past. All three will learn valuable lessons about love, forgiveness and appreciating the days we’re given.

Sweet Licks


Leo Sullivan - 2013
    So poor that their refrigerators were as empty as their dreams. That was until the day Dirty Boy’s best friend suggests a robbery that would end up making them the richest crew in their hood. But, as we all know, sweet licks sometimes come with consequences. When other crews get involved, things go terribly wrong for Dirty Boy. Will he find the snake in his crew before it’s too late? Or will he become a victim of the cold Chicago streets? Only time will tell…

One Way or Another


Peter Cameron - 1986
    Families, homes, lovers, marriages -- the safe havens they have been taught to depend on no longer guarantee shelter or stability.ONE WAY OR ANOTHER introduces Peter Cameron as an extraordinary writer, one distinguished not only by his prose, which is always abundantly witty and pitch-perfect, but also by a rare generosity of heart.Included in this book are two stories that were selected for the O. HENRY PRIZE STORIES: "Homework," first published in The New Yorker, and "Excerpts from Swan Lake," first published in The Kenyon Review.

A Death in Kitchawank, and Other Stories


T. Coraghessan Boyle - 2013
    C. Boyle is one of the most renowned storytellers of the modern era. This collection of fourteen stories drifts effortlessly between myth and reality, encompassing a panorama of human emotions. In “The Marlbane Manchester Musser Award,” Boyle reveals a writer’s dismay when a simple trip is turned upside down by a stranger. “Los Gigantes” tells the story of a group of giants being used to create a new breed of soldier for the military. In “The Way You Look Tonight” Boyle examines the way our perceptions of our loved ones can change on a dime with just a simple revelation. And in “Sic Transit” he shows how quickly we can become consumed with curiosity.Boyle travels the world in these and the rest of the stories, from California to Russia, Latin America to upstate New York, but his adept touch at depicting the lives of his characters never wavers.

Where the Light Enters


Nick Kaufman - 2017
    Josh, like many kids on the threshold of adulthood, eagerly dashes to the other side of the world unaware that his hunger for adventure is, on many levels, emotional escape in disguise. The mental illness that preys on his family and a childhood plagued by night terrors are stowaways that follow him to Norway alongside the promises of ‘free love’ and a year-long exploration of exotic landscapes. Norway proves to be a land of extremes: too much light, too much darkness, and perhaps even too much beauty — the kind that stabs laser-sharp into the soul. It’s a beauty that either kills you or teaches you how to survive by not looking away. Where the Light Enters is a subtle and graceful study of what it takes to stare terrifying truth in the eye and hold that gaze long enough to recognize a path to sanity, and love — even for those who have made you believe that neither is possible.” - Robynn Colwell, winner of Ireland’s 2013 Anam Cara Short Fiction Competition.