Book picks similar to
Surprising Marcus by Donald S. Smurthwaite


fiction
definite-re-read
fiction-and-humor
lds-fiction

Christmas Prayer


Khara Campbell - 2020
    Five years ago, Noel dedicated her life to Christ. It was the best decision she’d made in her life. However, August isn’t onboard with his wife’s newfound faith. Noel is at her wits end, trying to convince her husband about the way of the Lord. August is done with his wife pestering him about her faith. They are both hoping for a Christmas miracle – one of peace.

Seventh Seal


Jessica Draper - 2003
    Conflicts between Latter-day Saints and other major groups have reached their breaking points since the Mormons moved their headquarters from Salt Lake City to Independence, Missouri. Now one of the Twelve Apostles is missing. The end of the Sixth Seal is at hand, and the forces of evil are mounting a great offensive against the very essence of good. Amidst the turmoil, Merry Galen, a brilliant LDS medical researcher uncovers the truth about a vaccine that promises to end infectious diseases but only at a horrific cost. Now it's up to Merry to escape those who would silence the truth, and to warn the world as forces that may destroy mankind are set in motion.

Confessions of a First Lady 2


Denora Boone - 2015
     Their lives are in shambles with Veronica being gone. MJ is adjusting to fatherhood while Dynasty is taking the absence of her mother extremely hard. How could a woman who knows what it feels like for their mother to walk out on them turn around and do the same to her own kids. The apple definitely doesn't fall too far from the tree. Meanwhile, Veronica has decided to rekindle her flame with Iesha. That doesn't sit too well with Adrian, who has also joined them on their little getaway. Although she's been Iesha's ride or die through it all, Adrian feels she will never have Iesha to herself because of the love she has for Veronica. This drives Adrian to extremities that will cause Iesha’s life to be turned upside down. As the search continues for Veronica, secrets are revealed and pieces of the puzzle are put together. An unexpected visitor sheds some much needed light on the entire situation. Why did Veronica really walk out on her family? Is there more to the story? Will the Millhouse family survive and stay strong, or have these confessions destroyed them? Nothing is ever what it seems and just when you think you have it all figured out God allows another bomb to drop. Who will be left standing when the smoke clears and can God repair all that is broken?

Hometown Weekly


Bruce Lindsay - 2008
    After more than thirty years of being asked the same question—"Why don't you give us some good news for a change?"—veteran television news anchor Bruce Lindsay obliges us with humorous and heartwarming stories from the idyllic town that we believe we grew up in—or wished we did. Inspired from the stories found in real small-town newspapers, Bruce Lindsay introduces us to the down-to-earth, foible-filled characters from Parley's Grove—folks who can make the mundane mesmerizing and the absurd endearing. Warm, poignant, and always hilarious, these affectionate vignettes of small-town life will help you remember who you are and where you're from.

The Trial


Lindsey Phillip Dew - 1984
    During the preparation for the trial, he discovers to his horror that his defense may result in acquittal. As a lawyer, John is bound by his oath to the state to maintain secrecy, to guarantee a fair trial, and to safeguard the law; yet keeping that oath could lead to the murderer's release. Should he abandon the case? Only if he's willing to suffer the state's disciplinary action. Maybe that would be easier to face than the growing anger of the community. Or the disappointment and disbelief of his own family.

Something About Sam


Susette Williams - 2013
    Accustomed to using her nickname, Sam, she is hired as a cook, based off of her resume, site-unseen. Jake Dampier needs someone to manage his household while he manages his ranch. He never anticipated his foreman would hire someone without interviewing them in person, especially someone as young and beautiful as Sam. The last thing he wants is a distraction-but it may turn out to be just what he needs. Previously published by Treble Heart Books, Mountainview Division (c)2006 Susette Williams

A Small Light in the Darkness: And Other Short Stories


Jack Weyland - 1987
    A collection of sixteen short stories portraying Mormon youth in contemporary situations that test and prove their faith.A small light in the darkness --The greatest game ever --Oh, Susanne, don't you cry for us --Saturday morning fever --Sometimes they call me brother --The quiet war --Companions --Jeremy Cargo, live for the first time in Utah --The gimmick --Happiest two years --The goldfish parable --Afterwards refreshments will be served --Letters from a loving brother --Lookin' good --And when the night came --A chance to make good

Two Roads


Chris Crowe - 1994
    It was the night everything changed. It was the night Leisel died.Now, two years later, as Jared reflects on his life, he can't help but wonder at the chain reaction of choices that led him to this: a black nametag and a calling to serve as a missionary of God.It had been Leisel who had first sparked Jared's interest in the gospel. She and Rob had befriended Jared early on in his senior year of high school. But even as all of Rob's choices seem to be leading him away from the Church, all of Jared's choices were drawing him closer to it--and to Leisel. And on the night of the horrible crash, Jared finally understands how life-changing the consequences of a choice can be.

An Amish Christmas: The Bakery


Samantha Bayarr - 2017
    Darcy, but to Noel Fisher, he's the Christmas miracle she's been looking for. When Hunter Darcy finds himself the center of attention at the Twelve Days of Christmas Festival in his small town, he finds refuge in an Amish bakery, but it the owner who has him intrigued.

A Fresh Start in Fairhaven


Sharon Downing Jarvis - 2002
    He's somehow pictured bishops as spiritual giants and inspired administrators, not as ordinary grocers with a pretty wife and three normal but rambunctious kids. Bishop Shepherd's immediate challenge is to bring together the diverse memberships of two wards that are being combined. In his new flock are Ida Lou Reams, the uncertain but warm-hearted relief Society president; Tashia Jones, an eleven-year-old black girl who comes alone to sacrament meeting; Roscoe Bainbridge, an older man dying of inoperable cancer; Ralph and Linda Jernigan, whose behavior would be humorous if it weren't so bizarre; and an assortment of other unforgettable characters, who all manage to find a place in Bishop Shepherd's heart.

Cold Train Coming


Larry Barkdull - 2004
    A sense of peril and wartime shortages have reached even the small town of Fort Benton, Montana, where 13-ear-old Ben Colby is growing up. Ben is in love for the first time, with Ellie Beck, a high-school beauty who is three years older than Ben. But that's not the only dilemma Ben is facing. When he learns that one of his mother's old boyfriend has moved to town, he worries about what that might mean for his parents' seemingly shaking marriage. Everyone is nearly frantic about the polio epidemic that is raging through the town. In the midst of all this, Ben tries to befriend a stray sheepdog that no one has ever been able to win over - a dog that remain fiercely loyal to its previous master.Reminiscent of A River Runs through It and Montana 1948, Cold Train Coming capture the essence of a simpler time in American history, a setting in which a boy struggles to understand a looming adult world that is overwhelming and mysterious. Filled with humor and emotion, Cold Train Coming is a nostalgic, coming-of-age story that will take you back to the bittersweet days of adolescence, when summer was endless, first love was both thrilling and frustrating, and the future was as exciting as it was uncertain.

A Most Precious Gift


Jacqueline Freeman Wheelock - 2014
    Having never cooked a day in her life, she is terrified of being found out and banished to the cotton fields as was her mother before her. But when she accidentally burns the freedom papers of Jonathan Mayfield, a handsome free man of color to whom she's attracted, her fear of the fields becomes secondary.A gifted cabinetmaker, Jonathan Mayfield's heart is set on finally becoming a respected businessman by outfitting a bedroom at the palatial Riverwood—until a beautiful new slave destroys his proof of freedom and his fragile confidence along with it. When the mistress of Riverwood orders Dinah to work alongside the sullen Mr. Mayfield, sparks fly setting the two on a collision course. Is their mutual love for God strong enough to overcome deep-seated insecurities and set the couple on a path toward self-acceptance and love for each other?

Point of Impact


Clair M. Poulson - 1988
    Judge Poulson's desire in writing "Point of Impact" is to draw attention to the problems of underage drinking, drunk driving, and alcoholism. And in doing so, he hopes that others will come to realize that this is something we all must deal with if lives are to be saved, both on the highways and wherever alcohol is being abused.

Daughters of Blessing


Lauraine Snelling - 2008
    Contains A Promise for Ellie, Sophie's Dilemma, A Touch of Grace, and Rebecca's Reward.

The Christy Miller Collection: Book Set 1


Robin Jones Gunn - 1994