Book picks similar to
When the Finch Rises by Jack Riggs
fiction
male-friendship
frienships-between-two-young-boys
young-adult
The Mulligan
Nathan Jorgenson - 2007
So was this any improvement over a motel room? It made him think about what he'd left behind. That warm bed, the couch in his library? He hoped for sleep to come. The rich man ain't the one who has the most; he's the one who needs the least.
Someday, Someday, Maybe
Lauren Graham - 2013
But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates - Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material - and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works. Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet. Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.
Seasons of the Heart/Four Complete Novels in One Book
Janette Oke - 1987
This heartwarming collection of four novels is a wonderful series of stories about an American family on the prairies of yesterday.
Shadow Baby
Alison McGhee - 2000
When Clara begins interviewing Georg Kominsky--her elderly neighbor--she finds that he is equally reticent about his own concealed history. Precocious and imaginative, Clara invents versions of Mr. Kominsky’s past, just as she invents lives for the people missing from her own shadowy history. Her journey of discovery is at the heart of this beautiful story about unlikely friendship and communion, about discovering what matters most in life, and about the search to find the missing pieces of ourselves.
Thief of Souls
Darian North - 1997
But Dan Behr's luck is about to change. It begins when Alexandra goes to a weekend retreat with a seemingly harmless spiritual group whose meetings she has been casually attending. Only this time she does not come back. When Dan tries to find his wife, he can neither penetrate the group's premises nor break through the legal barriers they have erected around their activities. Devastated and obsessed by the mystery of Alexandra's disappearance, Dan struggles to hold his life together and raise his daughter. Things cannot get worse - but they do. As he peels back the secret layers of his wife's past, the cult reaches out to complete its destruction of Dan's world by abducting little Hana and making her one of its own. Dan Behr is no longer an ordinary guy. He will do and risk anything to save his child, even if it means entering the cult's fortified compound alone and unarmed. Even if it means laying himself open to the spell cast by the mesmerizing leader who has enslaved the minds of so many followers. But as he descends into a nightmare world of spiritual corruption, sexual seduction, and paralyzing fear, Dan Behr discovers that before he can save his daughter, he must first save himself.
Forget
Ruth Gilligan - 2006
That is until her father dies suddenly & her whole world falls apart. The only person she can talk to is cute, scruffy, guitar-mad Zac, who always seems to know the right thing to say. Eva feels that the responsibility for keeping the Coonan family afloat rests on her shoulders.
Wrongly Accused
J. Michael Hunter - 2004
But as he enters his parents home, what he finds will change his life forever. A devastating tragedy quickly turns into a nightmare when police detectives find it impossible to come to any single conclusion except that Brad is a cold-blooded murderer. Unwilling to become the third victim of the terrible wrong that has been done to his family, Brad, with the help of a sympathetic detective, must find the real killer.
Luckiest Girl Alive
Jessica Knoll - 2015
Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.But Ani has a secret.There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that's bigger than it first appears.The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?
Love Is the Drug
Sarahbeth Purcell - 2004
"Hello, my name is Tyler Tracer and I am falling apart. I am twenty-four years old, and I have no ability whatsoever to choose an occupation or a hair color." Meet Tyler, the singularly irresistible and straight-talking heroine of Sarahbeth Purcell's touching first novel. An incurable romantic, Tyler's chief obsessions include music, list-making -- and David, the man who broke her heart. Despite an exhaustively detailed list of reasons for why she should just forget about David once and for all -- including (but by no means limited to) chronic illness, terminal self-absorption, and geographical inaccessibility -- Tyler remains hopelessly hooked on him. Hence the wild ride she embarks upon in the wake of her father's death, a ride that takes her from her hometown in Tennessee to sunny Los Angeles, all in hopes of saving David from his ominous take on life. This hilarious and dark cross-country expedition finds our young heroine negotiating the universally perilous terrain of sex, love, and relationships with uncommon verve, wit, and more than a little recklessness. Along the way, Tyler discovers, among other things, the uniquely redemptive powers of roadkill, the fact that enduring love tends to blossom in the most unexpected and unlikeliest places, and, above all, that nothing can stop her from making her own rules and mapping out her own life. Not even herself. A joyous triumph of a debut to which readers will respond with a sense of instant recognition, Sarahbeth Purcell's Love Is the Drug spins a story of bold living and loving that crackles with energy and innovation.
World of Chickens
Nick Earls - 1977
Part-time jobs at Ron Todd's World of Chickens seemed like the perfect way to earn a few bucks on the way. But Phil's stuck out in front in the chicken suit trying to lure in reluctant customers and Frank's suffering from the fast-food grind in back frying burgers. Now that both of them are falling for Ron's wife and daughter, Frank's dream of being a surgeon and Phil's secret desire to be a film-maker are put on the back burner. Suddenly, Phil becomes a reluctant and altogether unexpected oracle on dental health, strategic planning, and marriage guidance.
Married To A Chicago Bully
Fatima Munroe - 2018
If you got a man, let him know I’m coming for him. And if you don’t, let these dudes know you belong to me – Atif Known on the streets of the Chi as God, Atif had no interest in being with one woman and one woman only. With his reputation as judge, jury and executioner wrapped into one, being in love has no place in his chosen line of work. Bumping into Kapri twice in one day was more than a coincidence, he had to know more about the exotic beauty whose eyes told the story of love and pain. You should know not to mess with me, I’ll break your heart – Kapri Chicago’s wild, wild west side was known for gunfights and shootouts on a daily basis. Kapri grew up as a product of her environment determined not to stay that way. Little did anyone know she was keeping a dark secret that no one would understand if it ever got out. Does she allow her past to dictate her future? Or can she teach Atif how to love a woman? When I found out my husband cheated on me I was determined to get back at him – Tanjalyn Tanjalyn had her own cross to bear stuck in a loveless marriage. Steve grounded her and provided her with stability while her heart begged to be with Prince, God’s ace. When Steve receives yet another commendation and promotion as an officer in the Navy, naturally he wants his family back together. Does she follow her heart or choose stability? The fact that she was married was the ONLY thing stopping me from putting her name on the deed to this house and the bank accounts. – Prince Prince treated women as disposable before meeting Tanjalyn. One date turned into a baby and a potentially messy situation two years later. Can he balance being one of Chicago’s biggest bullies while being a family man? Heavy is the head that wears the crown. But being married to a Chicago bully is even more of a headache. Will these women live through it? Or will the pressure be too much?
Henry's Sisters
Cathy Lamb - 2009
And this time, the message is urgent and impossible to ignore--River requires open-heart surgery, and Isabelle and her sisters are needed at home to run the family bakery and take care of their brother and ailing grandmother. Isabelle has worked hard to leave Trillium River, Oregon, behind as she travels the globe taking award-winning photographs. It's not that Isabelle hates her family. On the contrary, she and her sisters Cecilia, an outspoken kindergarten teacher, and Janie, a bestselling author, share a deep, loving bond. And all of them adore their brother, Henry, whose disabilities haven't stopped him from helping out at the bakery and bringing good cheer to everyone in town. But going home again has a way of forcing open the secrets and hurts that the Bommaritos would rather keep tightly closed. Working together to look after Henry and save their flagging bakery, Isabelle and her sisters begin to find answers to questions they never knew existed, unexpected ways to salve the wounds of their childhoods, and the courage to grasp surprising new chances at happiness. . .
The Companion
Lorcan Roche - 2007
Ed's family is very wealthy and very dysfunctional. Ed's father, a guilt-ridden judge, rarely emerges from his dusty study. Ed's morbidly obese, sexually perverse mother retired to her bed after a skiing incident ten years ago. They may live in the same luxurious apartment, but Ed and his parents barely interact. A bizarre yet touching friendship develops between Trevor and Ed both men are equally in need of someone who can show them umderstanding and compassion. As the boisterous narrative increasingly focuses its attention on Trevor's past and the mysterious stirrings of his psyche, Lorcan Roche's The Companion becomes a darkly humorous tale of obsession. An Irish take on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and A Confederacy of Dunces, The Companion's electrifying style, shocking finale, and its moving tale of friendship under duress all make for an immensely rewarding read."
The Night Angel Trilogy
Brent Weeks - 2009
3 volumes in one giant omnibus edition."Way of Shadows", "Shadow's Edge", "Beyond the Shadows" all in one beautiful hardcover edition
Slow Waltz In Cedar Bend And The Bridges Of Madison County
Robert James Waller