The allure of France helps to draw Katherine, a woman of a "certain age," out to explore and rediscover life’s pleasures along with the capacity to love again in this inspiring and satisfying novel.
"The Inheritors" by Judith Kirscht is a novel of one woman grappling to find her cultural and personal identity. Tolerance of others and the need for communication is required from each of us is an overriding theme in this latest work of Kirscht that explores the complexities of human nature and family bonds.
Clever dialogue, humor, and a healthy dose of romance between Alex and Jillian will surely delight romance readers. Providing a deft balance of romance and mystery, Eleanor Tatum plants intriguing clues and steadily builds suspense in a way that had this reviewer eagerly turning the pages to discover who is embezzling town funds and endangering the lives of its citizens.
Set in rural Mongolia, Diane Duca's I Heard a Ram Call My Name sets up a moral standoff between predators and prey by detailing a single hunting expedition for the endangered argali sheep. Interweaving human and animal perspectives, this meticulous and detail-rich novel paints a comprehensive portrait of an argali hunt. By following the story of the expedition from beginning to end, it explores every facet of the process from its shady organization to the devastating and lasting consequences for the hunted animals. At the novel's beginning it is centered around a beleaguered German business ambassador working in Mongolia named Helmut. He is desperately trying to make preparations for his company’s executives upcoming hunting trip. Helmut has personal moral misgivings about the practice of argali hunting, but feels compelled by loyalty to his company to complete the task assigned to him. However, in spite of his desire to organize the expedition and wash his hands of the whole business as quickly as possible, the planning is not going smoothly. Only exacerbating Helmut’s conflicted feelings is his flirtatious friendship with a local Mongolian woman named Sheema. An independent artist with a personal history of caring for and interacting with the argali, Sheema feels a strong connection with the sheep and is passionate about their protection from hunters. For Helmut, she serves as a living reminder of the toll organizing the expedition is taking on his conscience, for the reader, of the cultural significance the argali hold for the [...]
In the summer of 1941, a ship approaches Honolulu. Watching on deck is young Army Lt. Paul Van Vliet, a 1936 graduate of Cornell University who then joined the US Army Signal Corps, in which he was trained in radar and radio/wire communications. WWII is well underway in Europe, and Japan has begun its imperial foraging for new territory in the Far East, but where will it stop? Could Japan envision an assault on US territories—or even the United States itself? Stepping up preparedness in Hawaii is underway. Karl Larew's excellent work of historical fiction starts with Paul Van Vliet's introduction to life and military duty in Hawaii. Paul's sister Dottie, married to pineapple and sugar plantation owner Sam Lauterbaugh, is delighted to have her younger brother so close and soon invites him to a dinner party. Paul is immediately attracted to another guest, Betty Lundstrom, wife of the often absent Navy Lt. Eric Lundstrom. The somewhat melancholy Betty is equally attracted to Paul. However, neither has any intention of a relationship beyond friendship based on a common interest in music and Paul's offer to give ukulele lessons to six-year-old Rosalie Lundstrom. On the duty side, Paul meets his superior officers, Capt. Bascom, as loose with his language as he is with his liquor, and Col. Tothill, very much the diplomat. Paul begins his assigned work—an assessment of what the Army Signal Corps in Hawaii might need to support a war in the Pacific. In the months [...]
"Waking Up Dying" is a blockbuster; a hit between the eyes. Duke challenges the reader to take those tortuous steps he has—feel his sorrow, elation and pain, walk his walk through the everyday rituals of care, and talk the talk of his analysis of much-needed system reform. This book is a must-read for caregivers. Be prepared for a mind-blowing, ultimately, illuminating and educational experience.
Kade Sims feels he has been unfairly dumped from his former position in Army Intelligence because of out-of-control behavior due to a condition called hypomania. He’s bored, out of shape, and stuck working part-time at Home Depot instead of at the Pentagon. So when the FBI knocks on his door of his Virginia apartment and asks him to go undercover in Oregon to infiltrate a mysterious quasi-militia group called The Chapter, he’s eager to go to work for his country again. "Measure of Danger," Jay Klages’ debut novel is a page-turning techno-thriller written by a former military intelligence officer and a West Point graduate.
This thriller’s premise of international corporations controlling the food supply and sacrificing human health for the sake of profits is so plausible that it is horrifying. Readers will find themselves rapidly turning the pages to see what happens next in this disturbing “OMG this could really happen” novel. A strong debut novel by Lawrence Verigin that adeptly tackles the pertinent and socially relevant topic of GMO’s with tight writing and fast-paced action.
The mystery is set during the rough and tumble California mining days of 1869. Meg Mims vividly brings these times to life with her accurate historical research and her clear and striking imagery of bustling towns, dangerous quicksilver mines, and rugged landscapes. An entertaining Western mystery read with just the right amount of romance.