Book picks similar to
Swimming with a Dragon by Dawn McMillan


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

The Girl On The Landing


Paul Torday - 2009
    Is Michael ill, or could the disturbing events he is witnessing possibly be real? A thrilling novel about identity and love from the author of 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen'.

Attack of the Zombies!


Alex Harvey - 2011
    The Snail Bite panic spreads leading everyone to Zombie-like behavior and then a manhunt for Gary. Can SpongeBob save Gary? Or will he become a zombie too? This exciting new Ready-to-Read Level 2 is based on an episode.

Pulse


Julian Barnes - 2011
    From an imperial capital in the eighteenth century to Garibaldi's adventures in the nineteenth, from the vineyards of Italy to the English seaside in our time, he finds the "stages, transitions, arguments" that define us. A newly divorced real estate agent can't resist invading his reticent girlfriend's privacy, but the information he finds reveals only his callously shallow curiosity. A couple come together through an illicit cigarette and a song shared over the din of a Chinese restaurant. A widower revisiting the Scottish island he'd treasured with his wife learns how difficult it is to purge oneself of grief. And throughout, friends gather regularly at dinner parties and perfect the art of cerebral, sometimes bawdy banter about the world passing before them.Whether domestic or extraordinary, each story pulses with the resonance, spark, and poignant humor for which Barnes is justly heralded.

Inspirations: Selections from Classic Literature


Paulo Coelho - 2010
    An anthology then, should be a small token of something much larger. In the case of flowers, they bring to mind the colour & fragrance of the fields, of a season. Coelho's anthology, therefore, is not only a collection of texts or poems, but a gift, something arranged according to his sensitivities, to give to others. The selection of books presented in this volume have been chosen as if from a vast field of flowers, stretching infinitely into time's horizon. Coelho's selection is ordered in to the four elements, symbolizing both our world on all its directions, and the way we dwell in it, the way we say it. In 'Earth' we find writers as diverse as Oscar Wilde and D H Lawrence; in 'Air' Nelson Mandela and Gabriel Garcia Marques; in 'Fire' Rumi and Mary Shelley; in 'Water' Hans Christian Anderson and Machiavelli.

WarMage: Unexpected


Martha Carr - 2020
    Girl works to befriend dragon. A large, red, dangerous dragon. Raven Alby will have to train her new ride and save the dragon’s life or die trying. Mix in starting at Fowler Academy as a first year, becoming a stronger mage and oh... people disappearing. It's all adding up to typical teenager stuff for a young mage.First lesson Raven will learn? Don’t ever let anything come between a girl and her dragon.

The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer: The Damocies Gulf Edition


Matt Ralphs - 2003
    This revised edition contains additional sections on fighting in space and combating the alien tau.

The Summer We All Ran Away


Cassandra Parkin - 2013
    Their only condition for letting him join them is that he asks them no questions.More than thirty years ago in that same house, burned-out rock star Jack Laker writes a ground-breaking comeback album, and abandons the girl who saved his life to embark on a doomed and passionate romance with a young actress. His attempt to escape his destructive lifestyle leads to deceit, debauchery and even murder.As Davey and his fellow housemate Priss try to uncover the secrets of the house's inhabitants, both past and present, it becomes clear that the five strangers have all been drawn there by the events and the music of that long-ago summer.

The Lover


Laura Wilson - 2004
    An unidentified female corpse is discovered in an alleyway in Soho. It is the fourth to be found in the last few weeks. The women—all prostitutes—have been horribly mutilated. It’s clear that in the darkness and confusion of the war-ravaged city, a "Blackout Ripper" is at work. Inspired by a true story, this is a breathtaking new novel from one of the most talented and distinctive crime writers working today.

The Book of Evidence


John Banville - 1989
    Returning to Ireland to reclaim a painting that is part of his patrimony, a thirty-eight-year-old man commits a ghastly and motiveless murder, which he confesses in a novel-length narrative.

Company Man


Joseph Finder - 2005
    But that was before the layoffs.When a faceless stalker menaces his family, Nick, a single father of two since the recent death of his wife, finds that the gated community they live in is no protection at all. He decides to take action, a tragedy ensues - and immediately his life spirals out of control.At work, Nick begins to uncover a conspiracy against him, involving some of his closest colleagues. He doesn't know who he can trust - including the brilliant, troubled new woman in his life.Meanwhile, his actions are being probed by a homicide detective named Audrey Rhimes, a relentless investigator with a strong sense of morality - and her own, very personal reason for pursuing Nick Conover.With everything he cares about in the balance, Nick discovers strengths he never knew he had. His enemies don't realize how hard he'll fight to save his company. And nobody knows how far he'll go to protect his family.Mesmerizing and psychologically astute, Company Man is Joseph Finder's most compelling and original novel yet.

Trickery


Roald Dahl - 2017
    There's still a whole world of Dahl to discover in a newly collected book of his deliciously dark tales for adults . . . How underhand could you be to get what you want? In these ten tales of dark and twisted trickery Roald Dahl reveals that we are at our smartest and most cunning when we set out to deceive others - and, sometimes, even ourselves.Here, among others, you'll read of the married couple and the parting gift which rocks their marriage, the light fingered hitch-hiker and the grateful motorist, and discover why the serious poacher keeps a few sleeping pills in his arsenal.Featuring extraordinary cover art by Charming Baker, whose paintings echo the dark and twisted world of Dahl's short stories.Roald Dahl reveals even more about the darker side of human nature in seven other centenary editions: Lust, Madness, Cruelty, Deception, War, Innocence and Fear.

It's the Little Things


Erica James - 2009
    Three years on, after surviving one of the world's biggest natural disasters—the Boxing Day tsunami—their lives have changed dramatically. Dan and Sally are now parents. Dan is enjoying being a stay-at-home father taking care of their young son, and Sally is the bread winner and loves her job as a partner in a Manchester law firm. The arrangement has worked out well so far, but when Dan starts to question whether Sally has got her priorities right, the cracks in their marriage begin to appear. Dan and Sally have everything Chloe wishes for in life—a happy marriage and a beautiful child. Dumped by her long term boyfriend just weeks after the tsunami, she's been on a mission ever since to find the perfect father for the child she craves. When she meets Seth Hawthorne, she thinks she may have hit the jackpot. But is Seth the man she thinks he is? A life can change in a heartbeat but It's the Little Things is not simply about the moments when everything changes, but also a moving, compelling, and inspiring story of how we lead our lives in the days and years that follow.

Owl Song at Dawn


Emma Claire Sweeney - 2016
    This was not as a result of horror, or shocks, but because it was so beautifully written from beginning to end.' -- Little Bookness Lane'A heartfelt story about love and acceptance' -- Open Letters Monthly'What a tour de force. Owl Song At Dawn is, quite simply, an outstanding novel.' -- Linda's Book Bag'Owl Song at Dawn is a truly touching story about family, loss, guilt, friendship and forgiveness, and the charming characters are those that stay with you long beyond the final pages of the book.' -- A View from the Balcony'Owl Song At Dawn is an original and thought-provoking debut that is readable and engaging whilst packing a punch.' -- One More Page'Poignant and rich' -- Litro'an ultimately uplifting and positive book with life lessons for us all' -- Mad House Family Reviews'Emma Claire Sweeney however has put such a lovely book together that combines grief, loss, love and laughter. I can highly recommend it!' -- Butterflyinthesky'Owl Song at Dawn is remarkable, tender and heart-warming with realistically flawed characters. This is a beautifully written and uplifting novel that teaches compassion and provides life lessons for us all.' -- Her Nose Stuck in a BookMaeve Maloney is a force to be reckoned with. Despite nearing eighty, she keeps Sea View Lodge just as her parents did during Morecambe's 1950s heyday. But now only her employees and regular guests recognise the tenderness and heartbreak hidden beneath her spikiness.Until, that is, Vincent shows up. Vincent is the last person Maeve wants to see. He is the only man alive to have known her twin sister, Edie. The nightingale to Maeve's crow, the dawn to Maeve's dusk, Edie would have set her sights on the stage all things being equal. But, from birth, things never were.If only Maeve could confront the secret past she shares with Vincent, she might finally see what it means to love and be loved a lesson that her exuberant yet inexplicable twin may have been trying to teach her all along.A powerful and touching debut inspired by the author's autistic sister, perfect for fans of Karen Joy Fowler, Nathan Filer and Maggie O'Farrell.

Return of the Dwarf King


Charley Case - 2019
    A missing friend. A whole new world of magical artifacts for the taking. A cosmic vacation for our intrepid treasure hunter. After years of searching Finn has finally found the motherload. Unfortunately, there’s no way to get it home. And he’s got to meet John Wayne.Stranded and alone in Denver, Colorado, Finn and his partner Penny (a foot and a half long Faerie Dragon) search for friends and allies in this strange new land. But something about this place isn’t right. Magic has gone underground, and has anyone seen John Wayne? Lucky for Finn he’s a Dwarf, and underground is where he does his best work.Join Finn, Penny and their new friends on an adventure that spans the globe and holds the fate of an entire planet in its twists and turns. And just maybe a tall Dwarf and a small dragon can find their place in the universe. Click the Buy Now button and read it today.

A Threat of Shadows


J.A. Andrews - 2016
    Now, haunted by his past, Alaric has found one last chance at a cure, hidden in a magical Wellstone buried a century ago. With the help of a handful of quirky companions, the stone—and the cure—are finally within his grasp.But he’s not the only one searching for the Wellstone.His quest grows more perilous as he discovers that his companions are harboring dangerous secrets their own. It becomes almost impossible when he unearths rumors of a gathering shadow threatening the land—whispering of the return of a dark lord, thought to be defeated.To face this enemy, and have any chance of saving his wife, Alaric needs to be the Keeper he used to be, not the broken man he has become.Can he put the failures and pain of his past behind him to stand against the approaching threat? Or, in the face of all the growing shadows, will it be the darkness within himself that destroys everything?