Deckerville and Other Stories

Deckerville and Other Stories
Author: Peter Ohren
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2009-12
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1440183627

In this wonderful collection of award winning stories Peter Ohren continues to explore the lives of the characters he brought us in his second novel How It Is With Miracles (iUniverse, 2005). The stories, set in the struggling farming community of Deckerville, expose the dreams and disappointments of the people there. The author has a sympathetic grasp of the pathos of small town folk trying to cope with modern life: global competition, failing farms, love and loss, and the struggle with faith. In reading about his farmers, clerks, mechanics, shop owners and parish priests one has the feeling of an entire way of life coming into view, a way of life that may well be on the verge of extinction. These are people we know, our neighbors and friends. These are people whose joys and sorrows we can identify with and share. Deckerville is a must read book.

Outlaw Tales of Washington

Outlaw Tales of Washington
Author: Elizabeth Gibson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2011-01-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1461746205

A refreshing new perspective on some of the most infamous reprobates of the Northwest.

John Tornow Villain or Victim?

John Tornow Villain or Victim?
Author: Bill Lindstrom
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 538
Release: 2014-09-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1499061552

JOHN TORNOW: VILLAIN OR VICTIM? is a historical novel of the “Wildman of the Wynooche,” who was alleged to have killed six people, starting with his 19-year-old twin nephews, William and John Bauer in 1911. The suspicion was laid to Tornow and it touched off a 19-month manhunt, the longest in Pacific Northwest history, before he was killed in a firefight on April 16, 1913. This story attempts to unveil as much of the truth as we know, based on 28 years of research, talking to descendants of neighbors, friends and relatives of the Tornow family. It includes numerous newspaper accounts, including reports from some eyewitnesses. Is Tornow a villain or a victim? The reader is left to decide, and when finished reading, will be armed with enough facts and fallacies to formulate an opinion after studying the numerous conspiracy theories that have kept this story alive for more than 100 years.

The Dickens Boy

The Dickens Boy
Author: Thomas Keneally
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2022-03-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1982169168

The award-winning author of modern classics such as Schindler’s List and Napoleon’s Last Island is at his triumphant best with this “engrossing and transporting” (Financial Times) novel about the adventures of Charles Dickens’s son in the Australian Outback during the 1860s. Edward Dickens, the tenth child of England’s most famous author Charles Dickens, has consistently let his parents down. Unable to apply himself at school and adrift in life, the teenaged boy is sent to Australia in the hopes that he can make something of himself—or at least fail out of the public eye. He soon finds himself in the remote Outback, surrounded by Aboriginals, colonials, ex-convicts, ex-soldiers, and very few women. Determined to prove to his parents and more importantly, himself, that he can succeed in this vast and unfamiliar wilderness, Edward works hard at his new life amidst various livestock, bushrangers, shifty stock agents, and frontier battles. By reimagining the tale of a fascinating yet little-known figure in history, this “roguishly tender coming-of-age story” (Booklist) offers penetrating insights into Colonialism and the fate of Australia’s indigenous people, and a wonderfully intimate portrait of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of his son.

Of Feathers and Friends

Of Feathers and Friends
Author: Darlene Hoggard Davis
Publisher:
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781622451111

"Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me. I'm gonna go eat worms." While Tyler knew he wouldn't really eat worms, he did not feel loved. His parents sent him to live with his grandmother when they separated. Was he angry? You bet. Was he confused? Absolutely. Where did he fit in? He didn't know any more. After an argument with his grandmother, Tyler decided to run away. "I'll show them I can take care of myself." Tyler Andrews doesn't need anyone! Tyler grabbed his piggy bank and his Dad's Navy ring and ran out the back door. He ran until he couldn't run any further. Too stubborn to turn back, he walked further and further into the woods behind grandma's house, scolding himself because he hadn't thought this plan all the way through. And it would be dark soon. Tyler looked up and saw a flash of red. What was it? What luck! It was a flag waving from a window of a tree house. A tree house! Climbing up the ladder nailed into the tree, Tyler's resolve to take care of himself returned. Nothing would change his mind now. Really? What would happen when Cody and Jenna find him? What would happen when he meets Melody? Will these neighbor kids turn him in? What will he do with the wounded sparrow he finds beneath the tree house? Follow Tyler on his adventure to find his place in this world. Laugh or cry with him, whatever you need to do. You might just find you've grown up a little, too.