Book picks similar to
How It All Happened by Louisa May Alcott


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short-story
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well-done-plot

The Beloved Christmas Quilt, SAMPLE


Wanda E. Brunstetter - 2017
    Brunstetter, her daughter-in-law, Jean, and granddaughter, Richelle.For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Psalm 31:3The scripture embroidered on the back of a beloved quilt brings hope to three generations of Pennsylvania Amish women at Christmastime. Luella’s Promise by Wanda E. BrunstetterLuella Ebersol has been caregiver for a dying woman and her young son. When Dena Lapp gives Luella her favorite quilt, she makes Luella promise to pass it down to her daughter. But Luella isn’t sure she will ever marry if she can’t find someone with maturity and faith like Dena’s husband Atlee Zook. Karen’s Gift by Jean BrunstetterKaren Allgyer and her husband moved to a slow-paced village to raise their children, but Karen longs for the closeness of family to help her through the challenges of managing three girls with one on the way. When life’s pressures rise, will Karen cave to her fears?  Roseanna’s Groom by Richelle Lynn BrunstetterWhen the unexpected happens on the day of her wedding, Roseanna Allgyer can’t help blaming herself, despite not understanding why. Then an old friend returns to town, and she battles feeling for him—afraid of being hurt again.

Collision


Peter Cawdron - 2016
    For hundreds of years, the danger of collision has been ignored as mere crackpot theories, until now, and now it's too late. Collision is a short story commissioned by Vanquish Motion Pictures for development in film and television, and is the first in a series of character-rich, mystery-driven science fiction grounded in science fact.

The House in the Mist


Anna Katharine Green - 1905
    "Enter, sir; you are the first to arrive, but the others can not be far behind," he is told. "What others?" he wonders, gazing at a stern portrait hanging on the wall. He finds he has chanced upon the gathering of friends and relatives of the man in the portrait. An inheritance is to be divided, all concerned must be present by the appointed hour. And this inheritance is so substantial that violence, murder, and vengeance from beyond the grave all await among the heirs. . . .

Patchwork A Story of 'The Plain People'


Anna Balmer Myers - 1920
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

From the Dark to the Dawn: A Tale of Ancient Rome


Alicia A. Willis - 2014
    The masters of the universe have crushed the Iceni rebellion with an iron hand, slaughtering and enslaving her people.For Philip, his existence as a captive means living to hatred. He despises his rich, young master, resenting his life of servitude and the wrestling feats Marcus forces him to perform. Bitterness engulfs his soul until he only lives for the day when he will crush the might of Rome.Then Christianity enters the picture. Taught by a Jewish breadmaker to know the man called Christus, Philip begins the struggle to forgive and honor his master. But forgiveness is not easy towards one who lives for himself.Marcus Virginius knows nothing but power and pleasure. Destined to a successful career serving Nero in the Praetorian Guard, he wants no part of Christianity. And he is determined to crush Philip’s newfound faith – no matter what it takes.Join Philip and Marcus in their journey of redemption, faith, and forgiveness. Is love enough to conquer hate? And will the light of the gospel ever surmount the darkness of Rome? Persecution abounds – will the two young men survive its terrors and live to experience the bright hope of a new dawn?Endorsement"Alicia Willis sketches a stirring tale that delivers a powerful message of friendship, forgiveness, and God's grace. An authentic period piece, it leaves you with a greater awareness that God's ways are higher than our ways and we are on this earth for His purposes. Anyone with a bend for historical-fiction will thoroughly enjoy this book. Definitely a moving, worthwhile, and edifying read!"-Josiah Jost, actor/writer with Jostie Flicks.

Rudyard Kipling: The Complete Novels and Stories (Book House)


Rudyard Kipling - 2016
    - Plain Tales from the Hills (a collection of 40 short stories)- Soldiers Three (a collection of 9 short stories)- The Story of the Gadsbys (a collection of 8 short stories)- In Black and White (a collection of 8 short stories)- Under the Deodars (a collection of 8 short stories)- The Phantom Rickshaw and other Tales (a collection of 4 short stories)- Wee Willie Winkie and Other Child Stories (a collection of 4 short stories)- Life's Handicap (a collection of 27 short stories)- The Light That Failed (a novel)- The Naulahka: A Story of West and East (a novel) - Many Inventions (a collection of 14 short stories)- The Jungle Book (a collection of 7 short stories) - The Second Jungle Book (a collection of 8 short stories)- Captains Courageous (a novel)- The Day's Work (a collection of 13 short stories)- Stalky & Co. (a collection of 9 short stories)- Kim (a novel)- Just So Stories for Little Children (a collection of 13 short stories)- Traffics and Discoveries (a collection of 11 short stories)- Puck of Pook's Hill (a collection of 10 short stories)- Actions and Reactions (a collection of 8 short stories)- Rewards and Fairies (a collection of 11 short stories)- A Diversity of Creatures (a collection of 14 short stories)- The Eyes of Asia (a collection of 4 short stories)

The Devil's Duology: Devil's Daughter / Devil's Embrace


Catherine Coulter - 2012
    More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA

A Blooming Garden Full of Love


Carol Colyer - 2019
    Her life has definitely not been a fairytale so far, but she had found a man to respect her and share the same values. As the ranch is mortgaged to the hilt, and being rather desperate, she accepts Logan's, her husband's brother's proposal without second thoughts. Soon enough though, her decision to get married to a familiar stranger will give her sleepless nights. Can she finally live happily ever after and create the family she craves for?Logan Reeves has always looked up to his older brother and slightly envied him for both his professional and personal achievements. Now, he feels like he has betrayed him in the worst way possible. Not only did he think about it, but now he is married to his brother's wife. He has been in love with her from the very first moment he set his eyes on her, but will he be able to deal with all the challenging responsibilities he has committed himself to?Even though they have both agreed that this is a marriage of convenience, life will once again catch them off guard. An unexpected event will help them understand and confess their true feelings to each other. They won't survive apart, but can they really survive together? Could love bloom under the pressure of mourning and revenge??"A Blooming Garden Full of Love" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

The Winter Promise


Rosie Goodwin - 2020
    Unable to afford a doctor, he knows the younger children will not survive. So, unbeknownst to Opal, Charlie takes their younger siblings to the workhouse, where he knows they will at least be fed and have a roof over their heads.Opal is heartbroken and struggles to forgive him. Charlie, in turn, takes bigger and bigger risks to try to support what's left of the Sharp family and earn Opal's forgiveness - but he takes it too far and finds himself in trouble with the law. Soon, he is sent on a convict ship to Australia.As poor Opal is forced to say goodbye to the final member of her family, she makes a promise to reunite them all one day.Will Opal ever see her family again?

Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?


Lorrie Moore - 1994
      The summer Berie was fifteen, she and her best friend Sils had jobs at Storyland in upstate New York where Berie sold tickets to see the beautiful Sils portray Cinderella in a strapless evening gown. They spent their breaks smoking, joking, and gossiping. After work they followed their own reckless rules, teasing the fun out of small town life, sleeping in the family station wagon, and drinking borrowed liquor from old mayonnaise jars. But no matter how wild, they always managed to escape any real danger—until the adoring Berie sees that Sils really does need her help—and then everything changes.

Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes A Collection of Alphabets, Rhymes, Tales, and Jingles


Harrison Weir - 2012
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Demeter & Persephone (Graphic Myths & Legends)


Justine Korman Fontes - 2006
    Demeter rules over a perpetual summer on earth, where crops, trees, and flowers grow in abundance. Persephone, young and beautiful, unknowingly attracts the attention of the lonely god of the Underworld, Hades. Hades kidnaps Persephone, and a frantic Demeter searches in vain for her daughter. Finally, Demeter retreats to her temple in mourning. The goddess's sorrow causes the crops to die and the ground to freeze. The first winter falls over Greece. As people begin to starve, the other Olympian gods and goddesses try to convince Demeter to accept a marriage between Persephone and Hades. But Demeter will not give up her daughter forever to the Underworld. Finally a compromise is struck: Persephone will stay with Hades for half a year (winter). When she comes back from the Underworld to spend half a year with her mother, spring returns to earth.

The Christmas Angel


Abbie Farwell Brown - 1910
    But her heart is moved when she sees the Christmas Angel kicked aside. Remembering all the years it graced her family mantel, she rushes to rescue it. Back inside, the Christmas Angel comes to life, and reveals the actual destiny for each toy, and for Miss Terry, that she could have never imagined. "The Christmas Angel, " part of the Focus on the Family Great Stories collection, includes an in-depth introduction and discussion questions by Joe Wheeler. It is a stirring reminder of what really matters at Christmas and throughout the year.

BUtterfield 8


John O'Hara - 1935
    Was it an accident, a murder, a suicide? The circumstances of her death were never resolved, but O’Hara seized upon the tragedy to imagine the woman’s down-and-out life in New York City in the early 1930s. “O’Hara understood better than any other American writer how class can both reveal and shape character,” Fran Lebowitz writes in her Introduction. With brash honesty and a flair for the unconventional, BUtterfield 8 lays bare the unspoken and often shocking truths that lurked beneath the surface of a society still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. The result is a masterpiece of American fiction.

The Eagle and the Tiger


Tim Davis - 2015
    The deceptive, crooked path that led him to today began a few months back. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, nineteen-year old Fleming was a professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago White Sox. His successful first year in the minor leagues was waylaid when he received his draft notice. Through a series of misadventures, he ended up enlisting for four years in an elite unit called the A.S.A. or Army Security Agency; the army’s equivalent to the N.S.A. or the National Security Agency. Once in the army, Fleming learned that the recruiter had manipulated him with a host of untruths. Then, to his dismay, he learned that the army had lost his orders and he was placed in an infantry unit. Once in Vietnam, Platoon Sergeant, Levine questioned Fleming and dragged out of him the sad story of how he had enlisted for four years and ended up in an infantry unit. He became the butt of the platoon’s jokes and underwent vicious ribbing by the other platoon members. That day, the platoon was ordered back to their base camp: L.Z. English. Before leaving, they endured a mortar attack and then a ground probe. Fleming’s foxhole mate was critically wounded. Fleming did everything he could to save the man but his wounds were too severe and he died in Fleming’s arms. Repulsed by the ordeal, Fleming was left wondering if he could endure a whole year of this. Twelve-year old Van Phan Duc and his two friends twelve-year old Hoi Anh Vanh and Dan Tri Quang lived happily in their village until the day a N.V.A. invaded and forced them to join their struggle and fight the invading Americans. They were then assigned to a Viet Cong unit where they met Sergeant Chi, the man who would train them to be soldiers for the revolution and lead them into battle. Three American soldiers had been captured. Chi ordered the three boys to participate in brutally torturing the Americans. Dan embraced the torture and it turned him into a brutal fighting machine, much to Chi’s satisfaction. On the other hand, Hoi was repulsed by the events and a part of him died that day. He performed the torture but it wasn’t to Chi’s satisfaction. Van, a devout Buddhist, was also repulsed. He realized that life, as a soldier was three hundred and sixty degrees opposite of Buddha’s spiritual path. The 173rd’s area of operations was the Central Highlands. The 173rd’s home base was in and around the town of Bong Son, but they patrolled all over the province of Binh Dinh. For the next few months, Fleming and Van’s units met on numerous occasions. The first time they engaged each other in combat was in a simple ambush that lasted only two minutes. Both men were left repulsed by the carnage that could take place in only two minutes. Right after the ambush, Fleming’s company was deployed in a battalion-sized operation located in the Dak To mountain range. It was an area where numerous North Vietnamese soldiers infiltrated into South Vietnam from neighboring Cambodia and Laos. Fleming’s company was dropped into an area far from Dak To and the men were forced to march (hump) to their final destination. During the trek, they had to carve their way through impenetrable jungle and cross leach infested rivers to reach their destination, all the while suffering under Vietnam’s oppressive heat. Van’s Viet Cong unit was sent to the Dak To mountain range to do battle with Fleming and his company. Months passed with Van and Fleming’s units constantly meeting. Both men had similar personalities. Both men overcame their initial shock at war’s brutality and became highly competent soldiers who bravely fought the enemy. Both men were ultimately made into squad leaders. Both men continued to hate the war, yet were entrapped in the insanity that was war. They both recognized what war was—a brutally insane series of events where lives were lost and where dreams died.