Book picks similar to
Homage to Luxenben: Adventures on a Utopian Planet by Dan Hurwitz


scifi-fantasy
first-reads-wins
giveaway
good-reads-first-reads

A Hero's Homecoming


Carlene Havel - 2012
    His wife Rita has disappeared. His credit cards are invalid. A stranger is living in his house and he keeps running into people who are convinced he was killed in action months ago. Worst of all, his wealthy father has suffered a stroke.Psychologist Charlotte Phillips claims to be his comatose father’s legal guardian. Rich is determined to learn what has happened, gain control of his father’s money, and unmask Charlotte as the gold-digging schemer he’s certain she is. He is shocked to find his father’s crusty old attorney has been taken in by her along with everyone else.Can Rich straighten out the mess his life has become?

Bury Him: A Memoir of the Viet Nam War


Doug ChamberlainDoug Chamberlain - 2019
    Doug Chamberlain endured many challenges. One challenge was a direct order to bury the remains of a Marine that had been left behind by another unit and be forced to participate in the following cover-up. The order was in direct contraction of United States Marine Corps Policy and the Warrior's Honor Code of never leaving any Marine behind. Following this order meant committing an act of incomprehensible betrayal and dishonor.In this captivating new book, Capt. Chamberlain explains in detail the events that transpired as he was forced into playing the role of a political pawn in a massive wartime cover-up. Capt. Chamberlain expertly paints a picture of deceit and military malfeasance, sharing with the reader the moral and mental struggles that ate away at him in the decades that followed this horrible act.

Headhunter


Warren Barns - 2017
    Unbearable pain. A night of passion becomes a nightmare for corporate headhunter Adam Walters. In Prague for a few days to do business, he makes the most of his time away from home and commitments, indulging his lustful desires. But when he wakes up hog tied naked on an operating table in a filthy tiled room, he can’t begin to imagine the pain that is about to come his way… WARNING * This is an extreme horror book. It may contain scenes of gratuitous sex, and violence against humans, animals, and inanimate objects that didn’t deserve their fate.

The Vineyard in Alsace


Julie Stock - 2017
    She knows this is the push she needs to break free of him and to leave London. She applies for her dream job on a vineyard in Alsace, in France, not far from her family home, determined to concentrate on her work. Didier Le Roy can hardly believe it when he sees that the only person to apply for the job on his vineyard is the same woman he once loved but let go because of his stupid pride. Now estranged from his wife, he longs for a second chance with Fran if only she will forgive him for not following her to London. Working so closely together, Fran soon starts to fall in love with Didier all over again. Didier knows that it is now time for him to move on with his divorce if he and Fran are ever to have a future together. Can Fran and Didier make their second chance at love work despite all the obstacles in their way? A romantic read set against the enticing backdrop of the vineyard harvest in France.

Seven Steps to Happiness


Stella Newman - 2016
    But when her friend Juliet finds herself at rock bottom, Lenny realises it's going to take more than that to fix her.Luckily help is at hand in the form of HappyGuru: a plan which promises happiness in seven easy steps. So when Lenny is asked to research it, she puts scepticism aside and persuades Juliet they should give it a go.The friends quickly find themselves immersed in mindfulness, juice cleanses and death-defying circus stunts. Yet as Juliet becomes increasingly buoyant, things only get more complicated for Lenny.Can it be that happiness is only seven steps away?A funny and moving novel of friendship, heartbreak, and the restorative power of melted cheese.

Paradise: A Michael Quinn Short Story


Kevin Scott Olson - 2018
    An unforgettable evening awaits him... if he lives through it. Past collides with present... temptations and tensions simmer... until they erupt.

Antebellum Struggles: A Story of Love, Lust, Pain and Freedom


Dickie Erman - 2018
    Collette's suspicions and jealousies arise, but are tempered from the guilt of her own infidelity. The field slave, Tabari, finally escapes but is hunted by two saddle tramps and the law. Throughout it all, the scalawag Doctor disrupts everyone's lives, managing to line his own pockets all the while. Set in and around New Orleans, this deeply moving tale of scandal, sex, and suspense follows the voyages of these very different characters in the 1850s.

Loxley


John Bainbridge - 2015
    They exist under the sufferance of their brutal overlords. When a mysterious stranger saves a miller’s son from cruel punishment, the Sheriff of Nottingham sends the ruthless Sir Guy of Gisborne to hunt him down. His past life destroyed, Robin of Loxley must face his greatest challenge yet. Deadly with a longbow and a sword, he will fight tyranny and injustice, encounter allies and enemies old and new. The vast Sherwood Forest with its hidden glades and ancient pathways is the last refuge of wolfsheads. Here their bloody battles will be fought, friendships forged and loyalties tested. Loxley will become Robin Hood. Notorious leader of outlaws. Their daring deeds will become legend. This is the first in a four-part series "The Chronicles of Robin Hood", and includes an historical note on the origins of the famous outlaw.

News From the Squares


Robert Llewellyn - 2013
    He soon realises he has travelled sideways through time to another possible future, as unlike Gardenia as our own era.Arriving in a teeming megacity, Gavin discovers a highly technologically developed society in a vast urban landscape constructed around a seemingly endless series of squares dense with lush vegetation and trees.Much of what Gavin sees is recognisable. But there is one important difference. Here, women make up the majority of the global population and run the majority of institutions, including the vast and mysterious Institute of Mental Health where Gavin is required to live...

Final Verdict


Jessica R. Patch - 2017
    As a public defender, Aurora has angered plenty of people in townand in her past. And while Beckett constantly clashes with the feisty lawyer professionally, it's his duty to protect and serve. Guarding her 24/7 is now his sole assignment. He may not have been able to save his fiancee from a dangerous felon, but he'll do whatever it takes to keep Aurora alive. Even if working with her to catch and convict this ruthless killer puts his heart in the crosshairs."

Headcase


Keith A. Pearson - 2020
    Employed as a counsellor for a mental health charity in North London, his typical day revolves around broken minds and dysfunctional lives.Then, one day in January, a young man staggers into the charity’s office; no appointment booked and seemingly in the grip of a drug-induced episode. David reluctantly agrees to see the young man.It proves a brief but fateful encounter.Within days of that meeting, two men gatecrash David’s life; their motives wildly different but each making a demand. What they both have in common is their propensity for violence and deep-rooted psychological issues.As his world descends into turmoil, David must decide if one of those men can save him from the other. Perhaps more importantly, can he save a self-confessed headcase from himself?

2012 Lunar Contact


J.D. Clarke - 2012
    It is the riches of our moon. Unfortunately their mining of the moon threatens Earth. An intrepid group of astronauts are given the mission of making contact with the aliens that have so far ignored humans. What follows is anything but what was planned, as they get swept up into a war between beings that travel space and operate on a technology beyond Newtonian physics.

Ships of My Fathers


Dan Thompson - 2013
    His inheritance: a starship, distant relatives he never knew existed, and inescapable questions that challenge everything he thought was true.Michael's quest for answers takes him halfway across the Confederacy, from the gleaming corridors of the wealthy super-freighters to the dark holds of Father Chessman's pirate ships.The truth is waiting for him, but he'll have to survive to find it.

The Mashego File


Ian Patrick - 2016
    Building on front-line research in the war against crime in Durban, South Africa, with assistance and guidance from detectives, forensics experts, and victims of crime, the author has explored the precise locations in which scenes are set, and has captured details of background, history, and actual crimes before adapting them for his purposes into fast-paced fiction thrillers. His intention is to create exciting crime stories steeped in authenticity of action, place and time, while exploring current debates on law, justice, crime and moral responsibility. Intrigued by the way the character Mashego evolved in 'Plain Dealing', he decided to trace back in the detective's past to explore the origins of his attitude and approach to police work. 'The Mashego File' traces this earlier phase in the policeman's career.

Dead Already


Mike Krentz - 2020
    Broken bonds. Lives in peril. Redemption. Past-haunted emergency physician Zack Winston and casehardened defense attorney Bridget Larsen battle a malicious malpractice suit. They uncover a medical conspiracy trading in drugs and murder. As they peel back layers of truth, past relationships and current alliances destabilize —threatening both their lives.“Absolutely stunning! This is the heart-stopping medical thriller I've waited for.” —Stella Cameron, NYT bestselling author. "A heart-pounding thriller. Krentz taps his richly lived experience as an emergency physician and takes the reader on a deep dive into the medical challenges, legal battles, and lingering emotional wounds of Dr. Zack Winston. A page turner, with twists that surprise — and satisfy.” —Deborah Serani, award-winning author of THE NINTH SESSION. "Krentz applies his insider’s knowledge of the ER in a taut thriller that will rivet fans of medical dramas.” —Kimmery Martin, author of THE QUEEN OF HEARTS and THE ANTIDOTE FOR EVERYTHING. "DEAD ALREADY opens on the adrenaline rush of emergency room action and never slows down. Murder, nuanced characters, and deadly secrets make for a roller-coaster thrill ride. The push-pull relationship between ER doc Zack Winston and defense lawyer Bridget Larsen rings true all the way to their plunge into life-threatening danger.” —Jayne Ann Krentz / Amanda Quick, NYT and USA Today bestselling author.