Book picks similar to
Candyfloss Guitar (The Reluctant Pilgrim, #1) by Stephen R. Marriott
first-reads
instafreebie
fiction
novella
The Council of Animals
Nick McDonell - 2021
But I will say, in case I can change yours: humans are more useful to us outside our bellies than in.’”Perhaps.After The Calamity, the animals thought the humans had managed to do themselves in. But, it turns out, a few are cowering in makeshift villages. So the animals—among them a cat, a dog, a crow, a baboon, a horse, and a bear—have convened to debate whether to help the last human stragglers . . . or to eat them.
A Song for Issy Bradley
Carys Bray - 2014
The Bradleys see the world as a place where miracles are possible, and where nothing is more important than family. This is their story. It is the story of Ian Bradley—husband, father, math teacher, and Mormon bishop—and his unshakeable belief that everything will turn out all right if he can only endure to the end, like the pioneers did. It is the story of his wife, Claire, her lonely wait for a sign from God, and her desperate need for life to pause while she comes to terms with tragedy. And it is the story of their children: sixteen-year-old Zippy, experiencing the throes of first love; cynical fourteen-year-old Al, who would rather play soccer than read the Book of Mormon; and seven-year-old Jacob, whose faith is bigger than a mustard seed—probably bigger than a toffee candy, he thinks—and which he’s planning to use to mend his broken family with a miracle. Intensely moving, unexpectedly funny, and deeply observed, A Song for Issy Bradley explores the outer reaches of doubt and faith, and of a family trying to figure out how to carry on when the innermost workings of their world have broken apart.
The Vittra Attacks
Amanda Hocking - 2010
As such it may contain spoilers.
The Christmas Card
Amanda Tru - 2015
Cole Nikols had spent months planning the perfect night for his girlfriend, Sarah Whitman. But when Sarah abandons their date for yet another emergency with her ever-demanding charitable work, everything falls apart. Now, instead of planning their future, Cole is worried he’s ruined any chance he had with Sarah. Wanting to prove his love for Sarah, Cole writes a Christmas card. He sends it to everyone he knows, spreading the message of Sarah’s generous life and dedication to God, while asking others for help in his project of winning the woman he loves. However, never does he imagine the far reach and impact one Christmas card can make. Landing in the hands of so many different people, it produces a chain that changes lives forever. As the Christmas card’s stories come full circle, will Cole’s plan work? Will a Christmas card be enough to win Sarah’s heart? 'The Christmas Card' is a Inspirational Romance novella.
The Dinner Party and Other Stories
Joshua Ferris - 2017
Eleven stories by Joshua Ferris, many of which were first published in The New Yorker, on topics such as the modern tribulations of marriage, ambition, and the fear of missing out.The dinner party --The valetudinarian --The pilot --A night out --The breeze --Ghost town choir --More abandon (or whatever happened to Joe Pope?) --Fragments --The stepchild --Life in the heart of the dead --A fair price
What Milo Saw
Virginia Macgregor - 2014
But for now, he sees the world through a pin hole and notices things other people don't. When Milo's beloved 92-year-old gran succumbs to dementia and moves into a nursing home, Milo begins to notice things amiss at the home. The grown-ups won't listen when he tries to tell them something's wrong so with just Tripi, the nursing home's cook, and Hamlet, his pet pig, to help, Milo sets out on a mission to expose the nursing home and the sinister Nurse Thornhill.
Calm & Bright
Autumn Macarthur - 2016
They'll be together over the holidays, for the sake of their four year old son. But what chance do they have of becoming a family again, when she's returned to the tiny Idaho lakeside community she grew up in, and he's a city boy through and through? And that's before they deal with the issues that came between them in the past. Can they allow God to heal their broken marriage and broken hearts before his career tears them apart once more? I adore Christmas! Yummy food, fairy lights, decorating the tree, giving and receiving gifts—the big kid in me delights in all that! Plus it's a time for family, faith, and love, all things that mean a lot to me. And they're all important elements of my new novella Calm & Bright, too. It's a story of finding home, a second chance at love, and the greatest gift of all—the gift of a second chance with God. I've wanted to write this story since my spring release in 2015, Forget Paris. Brad appears in it very briefly, and unfortunately he's a bit of a jerk! Okay, a LOT of a jerk! But I treasure knowing none of us is such a jerk we can't be redeemed by love and faith. That earlier story woke Brad up that he needed to change, and in this book, he finds his heart's true home. I've enjoyed writing it so much! And I hope you'll enjoy reading it, too. This book begins a new series, set in beautiful Huckleberry Lake, Idaho! Every book is a complete romance, following a different couple through the trials and joys of a developing love, deepening their faith in the process, until they're ready for the happy-ever-after God has planned for them. Includes a bonus recipe! Faith, Hope, & Heartwarming - inspirational romance to make you smile!
When We Were Alive
C.J. Fisher - 2016
When we first meet Bobby, he is a shy, twelve-year-old magician who falls in love with his best friend.William is consumed with self-hate and drinks to escape the memories of his father’s sadness and his mother’s death.Myles is writing letters to a mother he has never met.Three different people from three different times each explore the dark side of relationships, search for beauty in sadness and try to bear the burden of guilt from living in a world we are powerless to fix.
Delaney's People: A Novel In Small Stories
Beth Duke - 2011
Delaney is one of them."When you meet Delaney Robinson, she is a two-year-old with a serious attachment to her wonderful great-grandmother, who guides her through life with the wisdom of a nonagenarian. Margaret's reminiscences, along with the rest you will read, tell the story of how this adorable little girl came to be.There is murder, mayhem, humor, romance--and a bit of heartbreak. The stories are about her parents, grandparents, distant ancestors, and family friends, from Delaney's Irish forebears and how they settled in Alabama to a chapter written entirely from the point of view of a Confederate battle sword hanging on her grandfather's wall.
Sweet Submission
Roxy Sloane - 2014
Maybe you’ve even tried. Asked for his hands to grip you a little tighter. If he could tie you up. Hold you down. But he always stops too soon.He doesn’t mean it when he makes you beg for him, doesn’t push you to the limits of your pleasure and demand everything you have to give--and more.You wonder, what would it be like with a man who truly commanded you? How sweet would the release be, giving yourself up completely?
No limits. No boundaries.His control.
Whiskey Devils
Brandon Zenner - 2016
However, Nick's complex past comes full circle, thrusting his new manager, Evan Powers, in a scramble to decipher the truth behind the chaotic lives of the people he holds dear. "A large marijuana growing operation, Russian mobsters, undercover drug agents, and a biker gang, wraps up with a series of unexpected and shocking plot reversals that brings the book to a violent, surprising, and powerful end." (BookLife Prize in Fiction, by Publishers Weekly) Winner in the 2016 Global Ebook Awards
The Deal of a Lifetime
Fredrik Backman - 2017
The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it. As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future. Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer. With humor and compassion, Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.
With You
Nashoda Rose - 2013
I didn’t think it would be a problem. I could handle a few bruises. What I hadn’t anticipated was landing on my back with Sculpt on top of me and my entire body burning up for him.I tried to ignore it.I failed of course. And having a hot, tattooed badass on top of me week after week, acting completely immune to what he was doing to my body—it was frustrating as hell, so I broke his rule—I complained.Then he kissed me.
Author’s Note: This novella is Sculpt and Emily’s beginning and how they met. It is an extra and not required to be read before “Torn from You”. Their story and what happens to them is the novel “Torn from You”.
*Warning* Huge cliff-hanger. Like huge! But “With You” and “Torn from You” are released on the same day.*
The Dead Husband Project
Sarah Meehan Sirk - 2017
In The Date, an online dating match takes an unusual turn when the man who shows up to the restaurant has no face. In Ozk, a young girl longs to connect with her socially isolated mother, a professor of mathematics who makes a radical discovery.Uncanny, sometimes violent, achingly sad and always profound, these stories showcase a writer with skill and empathy, and draw us in with a steady, unyielding grip.
Christmas with the Vampire: A Heartblaze Novelette
Shay Roberts - 2015
The holidays have profound significance to Augustin. He seeks to share his secrets with Beatrix, whose parents never celebrated Christmas, and soon she gets caught up in an extraordinary yuletide adventure. Augustin becomes consumed by Beatrix and demands more than just a confidante. Much more. So Beatrix must fight him with the only weapon she has…her heart. But will that be enough to survive the night in the arms of an immortal? If not, her first Christmas may be her last. Are you a fan of: Twilight, A Shade of Vampire, The Vampire Chronicles, The Wolves of Mercy Falls, Vampire Academy, Vampire Diaries, The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, or Daughter of Smoke & Bone? If so, grab your copy of Christmas with the Vampire now!