Other books that might interest you

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  The Obstacle Course

  J. F. Freedman

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  A disadvantaged kid struggles to rise above his circumstances in a New York Times–bestselling author’s “poignant, honest, and thoroughly memorable” novel (Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard out of Carolina).  It’s 1957, and fifteen-year-old Roy Poole has again been awakened by the nightly argument between his mother, his sister, and his hard-drinking father. Roy sneaks away after the old man passes out, and hitches a ride to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, to use its brutal obstacle course, which he can run better than most midshipmen. Whenever he’s navigating the ropes, gullies, and jumps, Roy finds that he’s able to leave his troubles behind. Roy’s dream is to join the Academy as a midshipman, but after years of bad grades and mishaps, Annapolis is a long shot. When a chance encounter with a retired admiral sets him on the path to a better life, Roy will face his greatest obstacle yet.

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  The Custom of the Country

  Edith Wharton

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  The Spraggs, a wealthy family of Midwesterners, are visiting New York City to marry off their beautiful daughter Undine. While Undine's beauty catches the attention of several high-society men, she finds it difficult to fit in with the old-money social circles that rule New York. When she finally marries Ralph Marvell, she embraces a life full of frivolities, which eventually leads to her tumultuous demise. Best known for inspiring the hit series Downton Abbey, this classic novel is a scathing critique of ambition featuring one of the most ruthless heroines in literature.

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  Games of Passion in Mykonos

  Zachos Hadjifotiou

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  As the plot gradually escalates to a dramatic climax, the reader might also enjoy the captivating human stories, the unlikely friendships and alliances - as well as a philosophical approach concerning how to live and how to die, while having a glimpse at Mykonos’ globally famous hedonistic lifestyle in the late seventies. Finally, the witty and lively writing style of Zahos Hadjifotiou makes difficult for the reader to put this book down.An Author's Republic audio production.

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  The Flame Tree

  Siobhan Daiko

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  Based on a little-known true story, from award-winning author Siobhan Daiko comes a tale of love and survival against all the odds set in Hong Kong at the start of the Pacific War. 
  In the spring of 1939, dashing young William Burton and the beautiful Constance Han set sail from London on the same ocean liner to Hong Kong. 
  Romance blossoms while they enjoy games of deck quoits and spend sultry tropical evenings dancing under the stars. Connie is intrigued by Will’s talent for writing poetry, and she offers to give him Cantonese lessons to help him with his new job— a cadet in the colonial service. 
  But once in Hong Kong, Connie is constrained by filial duty towards her Eurasian parents, and their wish for her to marry someone from her own background. She can't forget Will however, and arranges to meet him in secret under the magnificent canopy of a flame of the forest tree— where she fulfills her promise to teach him to speak Chinese. 
  Before too long, trouble looms as Japanese forces gather on the border between Hong Kong and mainland China. Will joins a commando group tasked with operating behind enemy lines, and Connie becomes involved in the fight against local fifth columnists. 
  When war breaks out, they find themselves drawn into a wider conflict than their battle against prejudice. Can they survive and achieve a future together? Or do forces beyond their control keep them forever apart?

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  Shadows

  Vladimir Korolenko

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  Many have read about the life of Socrates. Many are familiar with Plato's poignant description of his death. But who had ever thought of what took place afterwards? Ukrainian writer and scholar Vladimir Korolenko took upon himself to consider this question.

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  The Blackmailer's Guide to Love

  Marian Thurm

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  One of the many well-educated Ivy League graduates with literary ambitions who flock to New York City every year, twenty-five-year-old Melissa Fleischer has the great fortune to work as the assistant to Austin Bloch, an editor responsible for refining and publishing the work of some of America's most esteemed writers. But after she begins working at this prestigious magazine in the late 1970s, Mel soon learns that the extravagantly long lunches her boss indulges in actually belie his affairs with a stream of young women. Mel is left in the distressing position of lying about these never-ending betrayals to Austin's wife, Hillarie, who often calls while he is out of the office.But then, unexpectedly, the New Yorker begins publishing Mel's short stories, offering a spectacular start to what she hopes will be a long and fruitful writing career. Unfortunately, the exhilaration of being published by the magazine she reveres most is soon diminished both by Mel's deeply painful discovery that her own marriage—like Austin's—is far from idyllic, and her continuing complicity in Austin's betrayals. And nothing seems more difficult than the effort it will take to keep her marriage from falling apart.

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