Book picks similar to
Swimming with a Dragon by Dawn McMillan


dragons-pirates-fantasy
english-fiction
reading-recovery
1st-grade

Betsy and Lilibet


Sophie Duffy - 2018
    Two baby girls are born just hours and miles apart. One you know as the Queen of England, but what of the other girl- the daughter of an undertaker named in her honour? Betsy Sunshine grows up surrounded by death in war-torn London, watching her community grieve for their loved ones whilst dealing with her own teenage troubles… namely her promiscuous sister Margie. As Betsy grows older we see the how the country changes through her eyes, and along the way we discover the birth of a secret that threatens to tear her family apart.Sophie Duffy dazzles in her latest work of family/historical fiction. A tale which spans generations to explore the life and times of a family at the heart of their community, the story of a stoic young woman who shares a connection with her queenly counterpart in more ways than one…

Short Story Collections by Haruki Murakami: Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, the Elephant Vanishes, After the Quake


Books LLC - 2010
    Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge.

Tales From The Indian Jungle


Kenneth Anderson - 1971
    He brings the animal and human characters alive against the background of the jungle and the excitement and danger their co-existence generates.

The Girl Who Cried Wolf


Robert Ferrigno - 2013
    Her father is unreachable, dodging subpoenas about his hedge fund. Her badass boyfriend is on the hunt. One of the environmentalists secretly prefers a Ferrari over a Prius. Then there's the heiress herself, held prisoner deep in a dense forest near Seattle. She's tougher, smarter and more tenacious than anyone expected, demanding freshly brewed espresso, flirtatiously pitting her kidnappers against each other and making maps of the area on a dog-eared Greenpeace flyer. When she makes her break for freedom, the green dream turns into a nightmare.

Sixty-Nine


Pynk - 2011
    Magnolia, a New Year's Day baby, is childless, and always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Rebe, the mother of a college-aged daughter named Trinity, has just gone through a divorce from a man whose sexual appetite far exceeded her desires and abilities. Darla is also a New Year's Day baby, still mourning her husband's death after five years. After way too many glasses of champagne, Rebe, challenges them to open their minds in a way they'd never done before, daring them to try something new...sexually. Sixty-Nine is a liberating story about sisterhood and friendship, and about how past experiences and beliefs can influence one's views about life and sex.

Alistair MacLean's Rendezvous


Alastair MacNeill - 1995
    At his father's funeral, James McIndoe meets a man who is able to reveal the secrets of his father's wartime experiences.Based on a short story by Alistair MacLean.

The Santiago Sisters


Victoria Fox - 2015
    They couldn’t survive apart.It was fate, forever destined to come to this: from birth to death, two halves of the same whole. Twins Calida and Teresita Santiago have never known a world without each other…until Teresita is wrenched from their Argentinian home to be adopted by world-famous actress Simone Geddes.Now, while Teresita is provided with all that money can buy, Calida must fight her way to the top – her only chance of reuniting with her twin.But no one can predict the explosive events which will finally bring the Santiago sisters into the spotlight together…

Heaven in High Gear


Joan Brady - 1997
    isn't going exactly as planned. Now, in a bar near her hometown on the Jersey shore, her future is about to change forever.... "Your panic is your friend. It loves you and it's just trying to protect you. The man who spoke to her was gorgeous: long dusky hair, faded jeans and a black motorcycle jacket. And before Heather could brush him off, his arm touched hers and the result was electric: she felt her fear and anxiety drop away. Who was this guy? "I am who you think I am." Oh, God. "That's very good. It's about time we straightened out a few things in your life." His voice was like a sanctuary, a safe and lovely haven, and she felt enveloped by a cloud of serenity. So begins Heather's journey toward discovering her life as it was meant to be: filled with the true meaning of love and the magic of realizing her dreams. For every woman who longs to embrace her true self, heaven in high gear is proof that you can always find your way, as long as you trust your heart.

Resistance to Magic


Peter Glenn - 2020
    Will it kill her too?The amulet Sariah found buried in the mines looked liked her ticket out of her half-starved backwater life. The pendant was surely very valuable. The assassin who tried to steal it apparently agreed.Now all she wants is revenge. Or at least justice.With a little help from a friendly mystic she learns about magic. Only with its help does she stand a chance to vanquish the forces that destroyed her life.She hates magic. But will her thirst for vengeance drive her into magic’s open arms?

The Wreck of the "Grosvenor"


William Clark Russell - 1877
    Clark Russell was born in New York in 1844 to English parents. His experiences in the British Merchant Marine provided an authentic backdrop for his acclaimed sea novels. Russell is highly regarded for his realistic portrayal of maritime life, and his harrowing account of the sailors' plight in The Wreck of the Grosvenor was very influential in the passage of reform laws to improve the lot of British merchant seamen.

Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde


Pauline Francis - 2007
    'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' shows the struggle between good and evil that Dr Jekyll faced and how, in the end, his own good nature was overpowered by the evil in himself.

The Stand-In


Deborah Moggach - 1991
    But then she gets the break of a lifetime - a part as stand-in for Lila Dune, American film star and sex-symbol - and her world is transformed.

All of Me: My Extraordinary Life


Barbara Windsor - 2000
    Doesn't include original photographic and illustrated material. Born in the East End of London just before the war, Barbara Windsor made her first stage appearance at the age of 13. From her early roles as the original Carry On dolly bird to her hit as Peggy Mitchell in the award-winning BBC drama EastEnders, her spectacular success in theatre, film and TV has made her a British icon - the Cockney kid with a dazzling smile and talent to match. Here, for the first time, she talks in depth about the people and events that have shaped her career: her lonely childhood, her doomed marriage to Ronnie Knight, her legendary affairs, how she has never let her fans down whatever her personal anguish. This is the heart-warming story of a courageous woman and consummate performer who has always made sure the show goes on.

Little Ice Cream Boy


Jacques Pauw - 2009
    Everyone else know Gideon Goosen as a monster: a gangster, assassin and murderer, who made a pact with the devil and deserves to live out his days in a solitary cell in Pretoria Central. How is it possible that the son of a decorated, God-fearing security policeman could fall so low? His mother blames it on his friends from the other side of the railway line in Randfontein, others on a leggy prostitute from Nigel who became his obsession. Gideon himself believes everything changed on an autumn morning when the fatal pellets from a pump-action shotgun cut short the life of an anti-apartheid activist in the driveway of his home. Set against the backdrop of the dying days of apartheid, and inspired by a true story and events that really happened, Jacques Pauw's explosive debut novel exposes the raw, seamy underworld of gangsterism and brutality when life was cheap and fear was everywhere.

Further Cuttings From Cruiskeen Lawn


Flann O'Brien - 1976
    edition. British publication by Hart-Davis, McGibbon Ltd ('76).-- A companion to The Best of Myles, Further Cuttings culls more scathing selections from "Cruiskeen Lawn", Flann O'Brien's column in the Irish Times written under the pseudonym Myles na Gopaleen.-- This volume covers the years 1947-1957 and finds O'Brien's alter ego clashing with the law on numerous charges, including larceny, using bad language, and marrying without the consent of his parents. It also includes several bizarre obituaries, witty criticisms of George Bernard Shaw, Sean O' Faolain, and other literary figures, the return of the preposterous "Brother", and the first article ever ascribed to Myles (published in 1940).