Book picks similar to
Strangers in the Park by Mary Risk


fiction
picture-books
tiny-library-kids
young-at-heart

The Thicker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice


Kendra Rainey - 2016
    Cherish Denise learns from every trial and tribulation in the most horrible way. Not only does this young teen change from the nerdy plus side girl next door to the thick, busty and voluptuous woman. She becomes exactly what she never wanted to be after secretly falling in love with her handsome, chocolate neighbor Khalil. Cherish finds herself the subject of ridicule as she is turned down and placed in the “best friend” zone. Until she meets Caine, a thug from Georgia who literally knocks the socks right off her feet. They hit it off instantly, not knowing he was about to Inflict the worst pain on her. Caine seemed like the perfect guy at first with just a little street and thugness. Until he shakes up Cherish’s world, shows his true colors and motives, which sends Cherish up a valley of “no self-esteem and desperation.” There are so many hurdles to climb in her life. Will Cherish embrace her flaws? Love herself unconditionally? Will Cherish and Khalil make it through the hurdles meant to tear them apart? Or will Caine take her on a complete whirlwind. Who knows, but this chick needs more than time to figure out her life as college approaches and these men can’t stop wanting to sample her like a sweet Georgia peach. Stay tuned and find out....Why it’s the thicker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice…..

Yellow Horse: A Sage Country novel


Dan Arnold - 2018
    Yellow Horse is a man on the edge. He’s struggling to understand his place as a Comanche warrior in the rapidly changing times, and the white man’s world. He’s found some comfort scouting for his peoples’ long-time enemies, the Texas Rangers To improve his beef holdings, Quanah needs a man to buy breeding stock and herd them to the reservation. Yellow Horse has come in answer to his prayers. He is surprised to learn that Quanah is no longer fighting the American government. He too is learning to think and speak like a white man. In a time when native people are hated and feared, Yellow Horse sets out to find someone who will sell cattle to the Comanche, hire drovers, outfit a cattle drive, and deliver the herd to the Indian Territory. Before he can bring in the herd, he’ll have to confront rustlers and track down the outlaws who destroyed a small settlement. They’ve kidnapped the woman he loves, an army Colonel’s daughter. They will show him no mercy. None will be shown them. The story is set in the Panhandle of Texas and the Indian Territory of Oklahoma in the late spring of 1877. It includes many historic figures who lived in the area at the time. It's another a contribution to the many books of historical fiction that address the frontier period .

The New South


Sabra Waldfogel - 2021
    She’s Black. He’s white. They’re sister and brother… but they’re not. Will they ever be?Eliza Coldbrook, proud and privileged graduate of all-Black Atlanta University, hasn’t seen her white half-brother since the end of Reconstruction. When Matt returns to Atlanta, she refuses a reunion. She now lives in a progressive and prosperous new South. She doesn’t want to be reminded of the past that she and Matt share.Her half-brother Matthew Kaltenbach hasn’t lived in Georgia since he was seven years old. But he has vivid memories of the past, and he has unfinished business with it. He wants to rebuild a relationship with the man who is his father as well as Eliza’s. And he wants to reconcile with the half-sister he loved when they were children, but who has become a stranger since.Amanda Gardiner, born a slave in Georgia, now lives in an Atlanta reborn after the Civil War. But she doesn’t share in the bounty that is the New South. As a washerwoman, she’s underpaid and badly treated by her white employers. Until she decides to say no, and all the washerwomen of Atlanta join her in a strike…When the Black washerwomen of Atlanta go on strike, Eliza and Matt, Black half-sister and white half-brother, are both swept into their cause. Will the strike let them heal the wounds of the past—and forgive each other?

UNEARTHLY


Stephen R. King - 2018
    Sometimes it feels like we are all on a different planet earth. Sometimes we are!

Showdown At Apache Butte


R. Cameron Cooke - 2018
    Cameron Cooke... Mountain man and army scout Jacob Utah is called to guide a cavalry patrol across the harsh, relentless Arizona Territory. The purpose of the mission is a secret, known only to the soldiers. That suits Utah just fine, until the seemingly simple job takes a deadly turn. A mysterious sharpshooter begins shadowing the patrol, killing the soldiers one-by-one. Utah soon discovers the men he rides with are not what they seem, that they have a dark history which is coming back to haunt them. With fierce Apaches on the warpath and a sadistic gunman doggedly pursuing them at every turn, Utah must lead his dubious companions through scorching desert sands, treacherous canyons, and narrow mountain passes to reach an abandoned outpost at a place called Apache Butte, where old scores will be settled, and blood will be spilt...

The Jarrow Trilogy


Janet MacLeod Trotter - 2012
    Gripping, emotional and uplifting, the Trilogy is inspired by Catherine Cookson, her mother and grandmother.The Jarrow Lass: Brought up on her parents' smallholding in Jarrow in the harsh years of the 1870s, selling vegetables to poverty-struck Irish labourers such as the unruly McMullens, Rose dreams of the world beyond the grime of the town, a world she glimpsed at a fairytale wedding on the Ravensworth Estate as a child. Capturing the heart of handsome and respectable steelworker William Fawcett, it seems her wish for a better life is finally within reach. But tragedy strikes, and to save her young family from destitution, Rose must turn to wild John McMullen. The Jarrow Lass is the first novel in the Jarrow Trilogy and is inspired by Catherine Cookson's grandmother.A Child of Jarrow: To escape her possessive and drunken step-father, Kate is sent away from teaming Jarrow to work on the Ravensworth Estate. She is soon attracting the attention of charming, headstrong Alexander and dares to dream of a future with him. But when Kate discovers herself pregnant and alone she must return to face the wrath of her step-father. Yet she refuses to give up hope that one day Alexander might return to claim her and their love child. Poignant and compelling, A Child Of Jarrow is the second in the Jarrow Trilogy.Return to Jarrow: Rebellious Catherine (Kitty) McMullen, resentful of her mother’s new husband and yearning to escape impoverished Jarrow, determines to educate herself. Soon streetwise Kitty is a ghost of the past and the well-spoken, well-read Catherine leaves the north-east to follow her dreams. But this plucky and romantic heroine encounters hardship and heartbreak on the road to self-discovery. Return To Jarrow concludes the bestselling trilogy.

The Paradise Gig (Key West Capers Book 15)


Laurence Shames - 2020
    FICTION: Poolside at their motel, the Fab Four fell into conversation with a snappy-dressing local named Bert the Shirt, who listened as the band worked out a harmony to the most beautiful song he’d ever heard--and wouldn’t hear again for over half a century. FACT: That night, the Beatles played an unannounced free concert in the motel bar. Everyone was welcome. Local musicians showed up with guitars and keyboards, and had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of jamming with the Beatles till 4 am. This legendary event has forever after been known to Key West locals as THE PARADISE GIG.FICTION: Next day, hung over and exhausted, the Beatles left for the airport, having somehow lost a stained and battered notebook that held a priceless stash of unrecorded songs. NOW CUT TO THE PRESENT: A beautiful woman is doing a yoga headstand on a Key West beach when she’s abducted by a pair of thugs. An aspiring young singer is offered a recording deal that seems a bit too good to be true. Bad things happen to a couple of one-hit wonders…And old Bert hears a new song that is hauntingly familiar, but that he can’t quite place.Could it possibly be the same song he’d heard at poolside so many years before? Could it be that all the present mayhem circles back through the decades to THE PARADISE GIG? Could the precious, even sacred, Beatles notebook possibly turn up after all these years? Could Bert be the hero who would rediscover that stash of unheard songs for music lovers everywhere—and save a young singer’s life in the process? With Nacho, his intrepid Chihuahua, at his side, and with no one but bumbling detective Pete Amsterdam for an ally, the undaunted Bert the Shirt sets out through the Florida haze to piece it all together, learning along the way how much the world has changed—and how much it has not. In equal parts suspenseful and nostalgic, funny and romantic, this time-bending caper celebrates the power of music and the many tricks of memory, the joys of youth and the comforts of age, and the free and funky spirit of Key West.

The Sewing Job (Willa's Story Book 2)


Brenda Maxfield - 2018
    She’s determined to have a more “normal” life and not let her severe headaches impede her activities. Collin guards his secret, digging himself in deeper and deeper. Not only are his lies increasing, but his affection for Willa and the Keims—his claimed grandparents—is increasing. Willa’s new job throws her and Collin together. Their connection deepens and Collin knows he can’t maintain his deception any longer. He can’t trick the people he loves the most. But telling the truth will surely mean being thrown out of the tight Amish community he has come to cherish. Yet, he’s determined to come clean. What kind of a person would he be otherwise? Is there any way Collin can fix this? Is there any way his new “family” will forgive him? And is there any way Willa can see past his lies to who he really is? “In the tradition of the works of Beverly Lewis, Cindy Woodsmall, and Wanda Brunstetter, Brenda Maxfield continues to bring you gripping Amish tales of love, hope, and God’s miracles.” Enjoy this inspirational Christian romance today!

New York to NEW YOU: THE 31/7 ODYSSEY


Manoj Gupta - 2020
    James, an investment banker and the darling of Wall Street in New York meets a Guru, the Life Transformer in India. And there is a mysterious character, RK, who has a mysterious link with both these characters.What happens when the three meet after James' flight from New York? This book is about enhancing your mindfulness, wellness and inner leadership. It explains the distinction between how to make a living versus how to live. It includes 'how-to' steps, to transform your thinking - and in turn, your life.About Author:An accomplished business leader, a trusted advisor, and frequent keynote speaker at various forums, Manoj Gupta has vast International experience in multiple domains. He is working in tech sector for over 25 years. His passion to innovative has helped to turn around several businesses across the world.His approach to coalesce technology with philosophy led him towards the path of discovering intricacies of human engineering. Exploring deep into the topic by going through many books, ancient scriptures, and their interpretation by scholars and philosophers - combined with research of over 10 years, he discovered the beautiful convergence of science and metaphysics.His fascination for human psychology and subtle difference between ‘making a living’ vs ‘living a life’, inspired him to write down his idea about ‘New You’, which later became a full-fledged book. His pragmatic approach to make things simple, has motivated many people to re-evaluate their lives. Manoj enjoys helping people and businesses to realise their true potential. He is currently working as Managing Director at Qualitest Group.

A Spy by Nature / The Spanish Game


Charles Cumming - 2011
    So when a chance encounter leads him to MI6, Alec thinks he’s landed the perfect job for his talents. But working alone, relying on instinct, he’s soon spinning a web of deception that has him caught between his new masters and powerful opponents. For in his new line of work the difference between the truth and a lie can be the difference between life and death. And Alec is having trouble telling them apart …The Spanish GameAlec Milius quit the spying game six years ago – or so he thought.Living in exile in Madrid, he is lured back into a brutal world of lies and deception by the mysterious disappearance of a prominent politician. Forced to work alone, without the support of his former masters in London, Alec comes face to face with the nightmare of modern terror. And this time there's no-one to call for help…