Book picks similar to
The Textures Of Silence by Gordon Vorster
fiction
modern-fiction
south-africa
african-lit
Mating Birds
Lewis Nkosi - 1986
It is the heyday of apartheid. Although not a word is exchanged, a strong erotic bond develops between the two of them, culminating in what is later seen as a rape and for which the narrator gets the death sentence. In an absolute tour de force the narrator, only ever referred to as Mr Sibiya, waiting to be executed, writes down his story - reconstructing bit by bit not only his own and a brief history of his family, but also his obsession with the white girl, the court proceedings, and his encounters with Dr Dufre, a Swiss criminologist who has been granted permission of compile a dossier of the case. One of the most remarkable things about the novel is the narrator's ability to be objective, to view himself and the series of events almost dispassionately.
God and Mr. Gomez
Jack Clifford Smith - 1974
The joys and travails of building a home in Baja California.
White Plains
David Hicks - 2017
But in the aftermath of 9/11, Flynn leaves his wife and children, resigns his teaching position and heads west, only to get lost in his guilt and in the mountains of Colorado. When he ends up stuck overnight in a snow drift during a blizzard on the Continental Divide, he realizes he needs to remake himself into the kind of man his children need him to be. With wit and insight, David Hicks turns a compassionate but unblinking eye on what it means to be human—to be lost while putting yourself back together again, to be cowardly while being brave, to fail and fail again on the way to something that might be success.With wit and insight, David Hicks turns a compassionate but unblinking eye on what it means to be human—to be lost while putting yourself back together again, to be cowardly while being brave, to fail and fail again on the way to something that might be success.
Stick a Fork in Me
Dan Jenkins - 2017
For 15 years, he has steadily and skillfully guided the school into the high society of major college sports. But now Pete, fed up with politically correct campus culture and babysitting fragile egos, is retiring from the "arms race." As he waits for the university's board of trustees to act on his early retirement package, he reflects on his career, the people he's come across, and what life will be like in retirement. Pete's story is told in Jenkins's unmistakable, raucous, old-school style, and it's full of colorful, absurd, and downright crazy characters--from clueless trustees and busybody protestors to prima donna football coaches and booster club pests. Stick a Fork in Me is a rollicking, no-holds-barred tour of the world of big-time college sports. Praise for the work of Dan Jenkins: ..".the best sportswriter in America." --Larry King "Dan Jenkins is the nearest thing to Ring Lardner this generation has ever seen. No one has captured the essential lunacy of the twentieth-century sports (and TV) scene as accurately and hilariously as this." --Los Angeles Times "Dan Jenkins is a comic genius." --Don Imus "Dan Jenkins has been among America's best and funniest sportswriters for more than six decades." --The New York Times "Jenkins is hilarious, providing more laughs per page than any other writer in the 'bidness.'" --People
The Old Soul
Joseph Wurtenbaugh - 2012
As tiny and inconspicuous as it may seem, That-Which-Had-Been exhibits an unexpected and varied gift for survival, as it journeys implacably toward its ultimate destination. Along the way, it meets a rich array of ordinary human beings, some of whom assist it along its way, others who impede its progress, none of whom have any idea of its existence.From whence comes the strange, but universal, experience of deja vu? Why do some people exhibit a wisdom far beyond their age and experience - persons reincarnationists refer to as 'old souls'? Joseph Wurtenbaugh in this short story offers a fascinating and tantalizingly plausible explanation for these phenomena, presented in a natural setting that brims with adventure and exhilarating possibility. Not to be missed by anyone who enjoys science fiction or thinking outside the box.
Unlikely Santa: An Amish Christmas Story
Jennifer Spredemann - 2019
But when young Jaycee Parker mistakes him for Santa Claus, his heart is moved with compassion for the boy and his family. Will this unlikely pair discover more than just a holiday filled with food and gifts? At eighteen, Englischer Shannon Parker is left the sole caretaker and provider of her three younger siblings. All she truly wants for Christmas is to be able to provide a happy holiday and decent gifts for each of them. Not an easy feat, given that her low-paying waitressing job is their only source of income. When a handsome stranger walks into the restaurant offering kindness, she has a feeling her life will never be the same again. A faith-filled Christmas story sure to bring a smile to your face and warm your heart with the Joy of the season!
Native Nostalgia
Jacob Dlamini - 2009
Even though apartheid itself had no virtue, the author, himself a young black man who spent his childhood under apartheid, insists that it was not a vast moral desert in the lives of those living in townships. In this deep meditation on the experiences of those who lived through apartheid, it points out that despite the poverty and crime, there was still art, literature, music, and morals that, when combined, determined the shape of black life during that era of repression.
City Beneath the Sea
Rick Jones - 2016
A Mythical City. An Ancient Secret. In 2014, an earthquake off the Florida Straits uncovers a city that had been hidden beneath the sea for centuries. It’s a land of dark miracles and black wonders, and a place that harbors extraordinary secrets and deadly curiosities. Months after their narrow escape from Eden, archeologists and symbologists John Savage and Alyssa Moore are called upon to examine archaic texts inside the presumed city of Atlantis. The writings are similar to those discovered in Eden, the symbols a roadmap to mankind’s destruction by the year 2026. Along with a commando unit, John and Alyssa quickly discover the pitfalls that were created to keep a fabled relic safe. After deadly challenges and conquests within the structures, they eventually come across the Emerald Tablet---the legendary plaque that holds the secrets of the universe. But is the Emerald Tablet truly a source of great power and knowledge? Or is it disguised as Pandora’s Box that once opened it would quickly mark the beginning of mankind’s end? From the bestselling author of the Crypts of Eden and The Vatican Knights comes Book #4 of a John Savage and Alyssa Moore Adventure (The Crypts of Eden trilogy), and Book #1 in the “Quest for Atlantis” series, City Beneath the Sea.
Magnificent Bastards
Rich Hall - 2008
Meet the man who vacuums bewildered prairie dogs out of their burrows; a frustrated werewolf who roams the streets of Soho getting mistaken for Brian Blessed; a smug carbon-neutral eco-couple; a teenage girl who invites 45,000 MySpace friends to a house party; the author of a business book entitled Highly Successful Secrets to Standing on a Corner Holding Up a Golf Sale Sign and a man whose attempts to teach softball to a group of indolent British advertising executives sparks an international crisis.
My (not so) Storybook Life: A Tale of Friendship and Faith
Elizabeth Owen - 2011
This enjoyable read handles with heart and a light touch such issues as marriage, family, home ownership, illness, and death.
Footprints Of Lion
Beverley Harper - 2004
At stake: possession of a land rich in gold, diamonds and cheap human resources.Atrocities of the Anglo-Boer war take a terrible toll on soldiers and civilians alike. Lorna fears for her husband and sons - extrovert Cameron; brooding and secretive Torben; roguish Duncan; and Frazer, the youngest, softly spoken and artistic. She worries for her daughters - medically minded Ellie, who is never far from the front line, and headstrong Meggie, baby of the family. None are left untouched.From battlefields stained with blood and concentration camps rife with disease, to a pride of veldt lions thriving in the madness of war, Footprints of Lion is an action-packed sequel to Shadows in the Grass. Love, hate, revenge, triumph and much more stalk the pages of this unforgettable novel from Beverley Harper.
Dirty Blonde and Half-Cuban
Lisa Wixon - 2005
While on her search, privileged American Alysia Briggs ends up broke and alone in Havana. She's then forced to adopt the life of the jineteras-educated Cuban women who supplement a desperate income by accommodating sex tourists. With an eye for detail and a razor wit, Lisa Wixon relates Alysia's journey and creates a love song to Cuba, a heartfelt tribute to a resilient people facing soul-numbing poverty in a land where M.D.s and Ph.D.s earn $18 a month, and a pair of jeans costs twice as much.
If You Want to Make God Laugh
Bianca Marais - 2019
Eight months pregnant, Zodwa carefully guards secrets that jeopardize her life.Across the country, wealthy socialite Ruth appears to have everything her heart desires, but it's what she can't have that leads to her breakdown. Meanwhile, in Zaire, a disgraced former nun, Delilah, grapples with a past that refuses to stay buried. When these personal crises send both middle-aged women back to their rural hometown to lick their wounds, the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby upends everything, challenging their lifelong beliefs about race, motherhood, and the power of the past.As the mystery surrounding the infant grows, the complicated lives of Zodwa, Ruth, and Delilah become inextricably linked. What follows is a mesmerizing look at family and identity that asks: How far will the human heart go to protect itself and the ones it loves?
Escape From the Ghetto: The Breathtaking Story of the Jewish Boy Who Ran Away from the Nazis
John Carr - 2021
Foolish Beliefs; April May Snow Psychic Mystery Novel #2: A Paranormal Single Young Woman Adventure Novel
M. Scott Swanson - 2020
He offers me an absurd amount of cash to travel with them as a consultant for my psychic abilities. Why not? I like Birmingham, and everyone knows those old legends about the Furnaces are a bunch of bull malarkey. Besides, things have taken a turn for the crazy bordering on stupid in Guntersville. Jared Raley, my clueless cuckold new client, is determined to sue his neighbor for an invasion of privacy. I don't think we stand a chance in court since I saw Jared's wife Crystal with their neighbor at the local deli. Together. His hand in her back jean pocket. Yeah, I don't want to be the one to break the truth to Jared.I bumped into my former high school best friend turned nemesis. She's doing great and just bought the veterinarian clinic in town since she graduated from Auburn. Her career is going just as she planned. My face still hurts from fake smiling.Chase brought his friend Patrick to the house for dinner. They're restoring a '76 Vette, working into the wee hours of the night every day this week.It's been impossible for me to sleep. If you met Patrick, you'd understand.The cherry on top of the hot mess that is my life? Granny Snow had a secret gift for me. Oh, boy, did she ever!Why do people assume it's alright to give me a life-altering gift without asking if I want one?You can understand why it's the perfect time to skip town for a weekend and leave my Guntersville problems behind. Even if it means running the risk of further waking my paranormal 'Gifts.'
I've never been more wrong in my life.
Foolish Beliefs is the 2nd installment in the April May Snow "Foolish" mystery novels and a continuation from the "Throw the" series. The stories are stand-alone.Do you enjoy Janet Evanovich, Tricia O'Malley, Erin Huss, JB Lynn, Jana DeLeon, Angie Fox, Elizabeth Hunter, or Regina Welling? Foolish Beliefs will keep you turning pages until the end!Foolish Aspirations (Mystery Novel #1) Want more April May Snow? Try the complete prequel series listed below.#1 Throw the Bouquet (Short intro story)#2 Throw the Cap (Novella)#3 Throw the Dice (Novella)#4 Throw the Elbow (Short Novel)#5 Throw the Fastball (Short Novel)#6 Throw the Gauntlet (Short Novel)#7 Throw the Hissy (Short Novel)