Many know the story of how Jesus Christ came and founded Christianity through the death, resurrection, and crucifixion, but is there more to know and understand? Proculus, former Roman senator, seeks to create a unified Rome through the conversion of gentiles to Judaism. He gathers together Saul (later known as Paul), Maximus, and Curia to help him in this historical fiction tome.
Melanie's husband shocks her when he walks out after sixteen years of marriage, leaving her to care for their three children. When Sam re-enters Melanie's life, will they be able to make it through the hardship and tragedy to build their lives anew? "Choices" by Kate Vale is a heartwarming and honest look at modern love and relationships.
Grainne knows exactly what her perfect man is like, the only problem is, her perfect man is getting married. Set in the Irish village of Ballydara, "Mother Love" is a story of family drama, Irish humor, and healing.
Fresh writing, lovable quirky characters, a good dose of randiness, peculiar situations (I have no idea how Ann Charles comes up with this stuff, but it makes for an entertaining read), and clever surprises at every twist and turn. An "Ex to Grind" keeps the laughs coming or the suspense building.
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.