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Through the Magic Sunglasses by Mariia Manko
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Universe of Two
Stephen P. Kiernan - 2020
With his musician wife, he spends his postwar life seeking redemption—and they find it together.Graduating from Harvard at the height of World War II, brilliant mathematician Charlie Fish is assigned to the Manhattan Project. Working with some of the age’s greatest scientific minds, including J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Leo Szilard, Charlie is assigned the task of designing and building the detonator of the atomic bomb.As he performs that work Charlie suffers a crisis of conscience, which his wife, Brenda—unaware of the true nature of Charlie’s top-secret task—mistakes as self-doubt. She urges him to set aside his qualms and continue. Once the bombs strike Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the feelings of culpability devastate him and Brenda.At the war’s end, Charlie receives a scholarship to pursue a PhD in physics at Stanford—an opportunity he and Brenda hope will allow them a fresh start. But the past proves inescapable. All any of his new colleagues can talk about is the bomb, and what greater atomic weapons might be on the horizon. Haunted by guilt, Charlie and Brenda leave Stanford and decide to dedicate the rest of their lives to making amends for the evil he helped to birth into the world.Based on the life of the actual mathematician Charles B. Fisk, Universe of Two combines riveting historical drama with a poignant love story. Stephen Kiernan has conjured a remarkable account of two people struggling to heal their consciences and find peace in a world forever changed.
Land Beyond the Horizon
Julia Drosten - 2019
During the arduous sea voyage from the Netherlands to the ends of the earth, he encounters artist Bethari de Groot traveling to the colonies with her father, an executive with the Dutch East India Company.Hannes is a hothead, Bethari is headstrong, and their initial encounter is less than cordial. When they are shipwrecked off the coast of South Africa, Bethari discovers an admirable man inside the adventurer while he, in turn, is captivated by the young beauty’s courage and determination.While Bethari waits in Cape Town to begin her journey to Asia, she and Hannes discover their love for each other. When Hannes is dispatched to Ceylon on a mysterious mission, Bethari follows him and discovers that her beloved is entangled in a dangerous web of intrigue and skullduggery. Together they must fight for their future and their happiness.
Searching for Lincoln's Ghost
Barbara J. Dzikowski - 2011
After losing both parents in a car accident and being raised by a grandmother obsessed with death, Andi is struggling with an unusual quest for a girl her age-- to determine whether there is life after death.It is 1966, and Castalia, Indiana, like most cities of that time, is grappling with social and cultural change. Meanwhile, rumors have long swirled around Castalia's Lincoln Elementary School. Over its long history, the school has produced two sixth graders who claim to have seen Lincoln's ghost in the school's auditorium. When Andi prays on her dead mother's rosary to be the next to encounter Lincoln's ghost in order to confirm the existence of an after-life, a complex chain of events is set into motion, including the appearance of John Malone, a new boy at school who harbors an explosive secret, and mysterious moaning emanating from behind the dark stage after school. While Andi desperately seeks answers to life's most difficult questions, an unlikely new friend emerges--a mystical bait shop owner named Ezra.Searching for Lincoln's Ghost is a story about coming-of-age during the tumultuous 1960s, exploring such disturbing topics as personal isolation, fear and depression, bullying, social and racial intolerance. Peppered with Lincoln folklore and history, it is a timeless tale of the power of love, empathy, and how the actions of one person can profoundly impact another.
Learning to Love Again
M.E. Tudor - 2022
Sheila verbally, emotionally, and physically abused Ava for more than thirty years. Drinking lots of alcohol became Ava’s way of coping with the pain and loneliness, but she is ready for change.Ava's friend, Emily Rios, convinces her to spend two weeks at Emily’s vacation home in Ouray, Colorado. Ava is excited about being away from Houston and Sheila. She wants to clear her head and reimagine her life.Ava meets Emily’s friend and neighbor Melody Graves in Colorado. Emily asked Mel to encourage Ava to visit some interesting sites in and around Ouray. Mel is happy to help, but she didn’t expect to fall for Ava.Ava discovers a new love for the outdoors and finds confidence in herself as she and Mel become close.Ava returns to Houston feeling good about her life and ready to move forward, but Sheila is not giving up control. Ava must make some tough decisions to build a new life with the possibility of a relationship with Mel.
Lime Kiln Road
S.L. Shelton - 2018
All of the victims share a dark secret that dies with them. No one survives... Not until seventeen-year-old Gee.Drugged and wounded, Georgia escapes painting a bloody trail in the snow behind her. In the process of dragging herself to safety, she’s able to save the life of a second teenage victim, Josie. But the first survivors of the maniacal murderer leave detectives with more questions than answers.Gee’s memory blocks may hold the key to stopping a killer who has taken the lives of 12 people. As all parties struggle to find the missing pieces, the killer’s timeline is escalating and he’s straying from his pattern. Can the two victims team up with a local detective to stop the Catoctin Creek killer’s deadly spree? Or won’t they be as lucky the second time around?“A taut game of cat and mouse played on a razor’s edge. One where you’re never sure who is the cat and who is the mouse. Lime Kiln Road comes at you like that car in your rearview mirror that’s been following you for too long, the one that keeps inching closer until it’s riding your bumper and there’s no escape.”~Matthew FitzSimmonsUSA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Authorof The Short Drop, Poisonfeather, and Cold HarborThis novel was originally soft released in September 2018 with a title of Broken Betties. Content, book matter, cover, and title have been updated.
Colorful Notions: The RoadTrippers 1.0
Mohit Goyal - 2016
As they recount their adventures, I crave to live their journey all the more. They look at each other with a glint in their eyes, as if refurbishing those memories, as they narrate their spooky time at Bhangarh Fort, strange escapades at Wagah Border and Sundarbans, car breakdowns, wild animals, near-death experiences and highway robbers! It's nothing less than crazy.I doubted if I'd ever have the gumption to create such experiences. So I did the next best thing - I penned a book about them, and their roadtrip.Colorful Notions is a journey of three young hearts on the Indian terrain and into the inner recesses of their souls, giving a new perspective to relationships, love and life.
The Thin Wall
R. Cyril West - 2014
Without warning, Russian tanks have crossed the frontier and are pouring into the city. The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia has begun. Arriving with the troops is Colonel Grigori Dal, a seasoned KGB officer and coldblooded killer. While the country slips into chaos, Dal uses the fighting as cover to apprehend an American prisoner of war from a military prison in Prague. Within days, only a cursed woman and a troubled war hero will stand between him and protecting the Cold War’s darkest secret: proof U.S. servicemen were secretly transferred to the Soviet Union.R. Cyril West’s award winning novel of tragic love, suspense, intrigue, and the dangerous machinations of the human heart—The Thin Wall.*BRAG Medallion Award
Trick
Sean Hancock - 2011
He wins approval from his tough gang of friends by spotting an opportunity for a robbery at a local supermarket. He just never thought they'd go through with it. Even though they escape with more money than they'd anticipated, it is a botched job and cataclysmic events unfold. To make matters worse, Kelly Jenkins, the girl Trick has been in love with since he was seven years old, is planning her escape from their small town. If he doesn't tell her how he feels now, he risks losing her forever.A gritty fast-paced story full of suspense and intrigue, Trick is about friendship, love and a good kid’s determination to make something of his life, against all the odds.
Loving Tiara: Memoir
Tiffani Goff - 2019
At forty-five years old, my life’s mission was complete. If I died tomorrow, I would be proud of the life I lived.” - Loving Tiara Loving Tiara is a compelling memoir that will encompass your every thought, break your heart, fill you with hope, and leave you with a sense of awe. When Tiffani married the love of her life, Lou, after graduating from college, she assumed she would continue to live the affluent life she had always known, having grown up in Newport Beach, California. She never imagined she would soon be stalked by creditors, driving a car on the repossession list and forced to worry about providing basic necessities for her family, such as buying diapers and groceries. This increasingly desperate situation forced her to decide to return home to her parents with her baby and husband. After getting their life back on track, and with Tiffani in her final year of law school, they decided to have another baby. At eight months old, however, they discovered that their new daughter Tiara had Tuberous Sclerosis, a rare genetic disorder resulting in intractable epilepsy, developmental delay, chronic hospital admissions, and uncontrollable violent behaviors. So how did Tiffani cope with her new reality? She chose to fight. She challenged the doctors, battled the insurance companies, and refused to give up caring for Tiara even when her own life was at risk. The author’s story of unconditional love, unimaginable challenges, and, ultimately, triumph, is a compelling one, which will take hold of your heart and not let go. This memoir will, hopefully, inspire you to tackle fear, encourage you never to give up, and remind you always to trust your gut instincts.
Fresh off the Starship
Ann Crawford - 2018
Join her on this whimsical journey as she discovers the beauty of life and love on Earth.Author Ann Crawford's trademark optimism brings us a witty and wise book filled with memorable characters and insights into what makes us all so very human.
The Eden Deception
Nathan Swain - 2020
In Cambridge, England, a famed archaeologist prepares to excavate the most historic and mysterious site in human history: the Garden of Eden. Brought together by chance, Will Eastgate and Olivia Nazarian are menaced by a common foe—an obscure order, the Flaming Sword, tasked for millennia with protecting Eden and keeping its location hidden, using whatever means necessary.In a race to save their own lives, and expose the truth about man’s ancient past, Eastgate and Olivia follow clues gleaned from archives in London all the way to Iran and Turkey and, finally, to the desert of Iraq. Two powerful men follow their every move. Both have secrets to keep—secrets so great that their discovery would topple dictators and governments and forever reshape the course of human history.In the heart of ancient Iraq, at the dawn of the Iraq War in 2003, conflicting ambitions collide, events set in motion decades ago come to pass, and a deadly conspiracy is revealed.Filled with action and historical riddles, The Eden Deception is a fast-paced, intellectual thrill-ride.
Operation Underpants
Mark A. Biggs - 2017
It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln.Max and Olivia met as teenagers on covert operations during WW2. After the war they married and under the guise of a doddering vicar and his wife, continued a life of secrets as cold war spies. Now 87 years old, left and forgotten in nursing home, they are called back into action. With the fate of London and much of the world hanging in the balance, somehow they must escape and travel to the United Kingdom.There are six books in the Max and Olivia series, captivating espionage adventures of quirky seniors.
Paris Never Leaves You
Ellen Feldman - 2020
But can she survive the next chapter of her life?Alternating between wartime Paris and 1950s New York publishing, Paris Never Leaves You is an extraordinary story of resilience, love, and impossible choices, exploring how survival never comes without a cost.
The war is over, but the past is never past.
Paradiso: Final Chapter to The Mistress of Auschwitz
Terrance D. Williamson - 2020
Summer on the Bluffs
Sunny Hostin - 2021
Known for its gingerbread Victorian-style houses and modern architectural marvels, this picturesque town hugging the sea is a mecca for the crème de la crème of black society—where Michelle and Barack Obama vacation and Meghan Markle has shopped for a house for her mom. Black people have lived in this pretty slip of the Vineyard since the 1600s and began buying property in the 1800s, making this posh town the embodiment of “old money.”Every summer, Esperenza “Perry” Soto, a beautiful and talented Afro-Latina lawyer, escapes the fetid heat of New York City for the gorgeous weather, cool water, and stunning views Oak Bluffs offers. Sharing a cottage on the beach, owned by her “Ama”, with her husband and two god sisters, Perry is looking forward to trading meetings and clients for days of languor and fun.When Memorial Day arrives and the season begins, some of the nation’s wealthiest, most powerful, and famous from the worlds of politics, art, and entertainment meet to swim, dance, party, and chill. While a few can’t leave work behind, others indulge in a different kind of business affair. But this summer on the Bluffs is different. Ama is moving to the south of France to reunite with her college sweetheart. She is going to give the house to one of her goddaughters and she has invited all three of them to spend the summer with her the way they did when they were kids. Each of the women want the house desperately. Each is grappling with a secret that they fear will make them lose Ama’s approval and the house. . . .