Kitan Club Vol26: A boy is standing in an empty train station. A large train arrives at the platform. With tears in his eyes, he waits for his ... by Alan Edoh (Halolub Co.,Ltd.) (1 Review)    Price verified 19 minutes ago

Episode 54: The Station I am aiming to be a novelist and repeatedly have stories published in magazines. I try to write a short horror story sponsored by a publisher, but I cannot write anything good and the deadline is approaching soon. When I desperately try to write, I hear the sounds of ambulances and fire engines. There seems to be a family suicide nearby. The family was the one I saw at a fireworks display earlier. When I hear that all of the family members seemed to be saved, I am relieved. I go to work to complete the short story. Eventually, though, things go in unexpected ways. Episode 55: The Blind Monk Without Ears The last battle between Heike and Genji was held at Dannoura, and Heike was destroyed. However, the samurais of the Heike who died in the battle become ghosts, and these ghosts bother people for hundreds of years. There is a blind monk named Hoichi. Although he has had a hard time from an early age, he has a talent for playing and talking with Biwa and earns a living by polishing it. One day, a samurai comes and says that the nobles want to hear Hoichi's biwa story, and he takes Hoichi to them. He thinks he is playing in front of aristocrats in a luxurious mansion, but he actually has been deceived by a ghost of the Heike. The superior monk who notices it devises a strategy to save Hoichi. However, an unexpected situation comes up. Episode 56: The Sea Paintings A painter lives with his wife in a port town. The painter, who is very popular and has a constant demand for his works, lives a wealthy life. However, they prefer a quiet life rather than luxury. They like to have picnics near a famous place named Little Cliff, especially when the weather is nice. Yet the wife comes down with lung disease and dies. The mourning painter begins painting the sea, and only the sea, losing all of his customers. In the end, he stands on the cliff's edge, prays, and throws himself into the sea. At that time, a miracle occurs. Episode 57: A Firefly A young ...

Genre: Literary Fiction

Finding Joy by Tara White (Best Seller Publishing, LLC) (6 Reviews)    Price verified one hour ago

Have you spent your life giving so much of yourself to others that you no longer know who you are anymore? 40-year-old Joy Donnoly, recently widowed following her husband's decade-long progressive illness, finds herself all alone after her triplets leave for college and university. Without anyone to take care of for the first time in two decades, Joy realizes she has given so much of herself to take care of her family that she lost herself in the process. Unable to figure out what to do next, she falls into a depression, losing herself to television and social media to cope with her grief. When her daughters step in to do an "intervention" Joy begins a journey to rediscover herself and find a new way forward. Join Joy on her journey of self-discovery, as she fights her way through the darkness to reclaim her identity, and in doing so, not only finds herself but finds a way to step into her future with happiness and joy. Author Tara White wrote the majority of this book on location in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia (literally sitting on the rocks looking out into the Atlantic Ocean), and in Waikoloa, Hawaii, two of the settings in the book. The rocks and ocean on the book cover are from an actual picture taken during one of her writing sessions. She visited Nova Scotia many times a year in one of her prior jobs and took advantage of the opportunity to get out to Peggy's Cove to squeeze in a few hours of writing on her trips. Peggy's Cove quickly became her magical writing place where, as soon as she sits down on the rocks and opens her laptop, her fingers just start flying across the keyboard and the characters come to life! Since she started visiting Peggy's Cove fairly regularly over five years ago, she has easily spent over a couple of hundred hours on the rocks, and on many of those visits, she searched the ocean for a whale or a dolphin, without one sighting. On her last trip to Peggy's Cove, with her completed manuscript in the rental car in the parking lot, ...

Genre: Literary Fiction

Kitan Club Vol21: An officer with a wealth of poetry talent dies but doesn't leave his death poem, which confuses his friend. In the meantime, the ... by Alan Edoh (Halolub Co.,Ltd.) (1 Review)    Price verified 5 hours ago

Episode 47.The Death Poem After the revolution, N-Country undergoes rapid social changes. The privileged class of samurai disappears, and N-Country shifts to a centralized state. I was born into a samurai family and struggle to become a Navy officer. I have a close friend named Tagiri. My hobby is writing poetry, and I highly value Tagiri's talent. The two of us often talk about the death poem, the last poem a samurai wrote before he dies. During training, Tagiri is seriously injured and becomes bedridden, but his wife, Miyo, devotedly nurses him. At the time, N-Country is in a state of war with R-Country, and the final great naval battle is about to begin. At that time, I am surprised to hear from Miyo that Tagir has conducted hara-kiri, and when I go to his house, I find him having cut his stomach according to samurai etiquette; however, to my surprise, he does not seem to have left his death poem. Soon, a great naval battle takes place, and N-Country wins. After a while, the emperor dies, and the whole country mourns. At that time, the secret of Tagiri's death poem is revealed.

Genre: Literary Fiction

Stories Untold: An enthralling psychological novel by Leslie Wolfe (Italics Publishing) (2,258 Reviews)    Price verified 11 minutes ago

He's a decorated war veteran and he wants to die. She's a prominent psychologist and she won't give up on him. Neither knows how to lose. When a suicidal client seeks her help, Dr. Angela Blackwell cannot turn him away, despite the fact that he isn't seeking the kind of help she normally provides her clients. The man, who won't fully identify himself, wants the distinguished psychologist to stand witness after his planned death in six months' time, ensuring his wife will not be charged as an accessory or be hindered from collecting the death benefit he carefully provisioned for her. He calls himself DJ and won't willingly share anything about his past. As Dr. Blackwell is struggling to reconstruct her own life after the loss of her husband, she recognizes his unusual request as a subconscious cry for help and embarks on a relentless effort to guide the reluctant stranger in uncovering the trauma that has permanently altered the course of his existence. Playing a deck of cards stacked high against her and rushing against time, she has no other option but to intervene, searching for the truth herself, refusing to give up. A suspenseful thriller and an astonishing, vibrant story of human strength and frailty, of love lost and love found, Stories Untold will captivate as few stories ever do, with unexpected twists and turns, leaving a lasting memory ingrained into the essence of the reader's being. BOOKS BY LESLIE WOLFE All the books are standalone, regardless of series; think Costco, not IKEA. This is a ride you won't want to miss! Baxter and Holt Series -- Las Vegas Girl -- Casino Girl -- Las Vegas Crime Tess Winnett Series -- Dawn Girl -- The Watson Girl -- Glimpse of Death -- Taker of Lives Self-Standing Novels -- Stories Untold Alex Hoffmann Series -- Executive -- Devil's Move -- The Backup Asset -- The Ghost Pattern -- Operation Sunset

Genre: Literary Fiction

The Second Sun: Volumes I & II by Kristof Morrow (30 Reviews)    Price verified one minute ago

The plot of The Second Sun is an allegory for the financial inequality between the older and younger generations. There's an island paradise where there's elders living a second life after retiring from their human forms, and live amongst their chosen few, who also live for thousands of years in relative peace. However, only those welcome can actually approach the island and survive. Everyone else on earth is made to endure a game of thrones type world, except I omitted much of the overt cruelty you find in that series. I also forgo the notions of racism and sexism. l wanted to adopt the spirit of Tolkien, but expand that virtue of "anyone, no matter how small, can achieve great things," to every kind of human so it feels to be an adventure for everyone! I was diagnosed with Tourette's when I was 27, and so it's developed my understanding of the theft of agency and being marginalized for something I cannot control. It's also structured similarly to game of thrones, in that the first three chapters are different parts of the world with different characters, and you learn how they are related as the story progresses. The Second Sun is, above all things, an adventure made animate by hundreds of distinct characters across half a world, written to confess through prose and tale our tendencies poisoned by Dickensian bleakness, and to wholly ameliorate that cynicism by the light and courage of those who live and labor for a just peace.

Genre: Literary Fiction

The Trouble with Girls by Kirk Adams (Kirk Adams Books) (4 Reviews)    Price verified one minute ago

Eric Eules is in trouble -- always. The sixth-grade graduate has a big problem -- and it isn't just that Woodland Hills neighborhood guru Burnout pushes him down a hippie path he can't possibly travel. Eric's problem is that he's at war with nearly every woman in his life at the very moment he has grown to desire nothing more than the love of one girl. That is, his mother assigns him never-ending chores, his aunt taunts him as a male chauvinist piglet, and his sisters protest his frequent tinkling on the toilet seat. Most of all, he must face down classmate and nemesis Skinnydip -- who stands between Eric and the new girl to the neighborhood, the beautiful Lori Bloom. The Trouble with Girls in an exciting coming of age story in which a growing boy first perceives how the true desire of his heart is something -- someone -- greater than playing baseball and riding bikes with his boyhood friends. Set in an Indiana suburb during the summer of 1972 -- a year of tumult and change in how men and women saw each other -- the clumsy and awkward twelve-year-old boy must navigate the perils of his own home and neighborhood. Maddened by first love, he must complete a series of Herculean labors to win the heart of she who now matters most to him. Return to a lazy Midwest summer when noisy boys played in ball fields and wooded lots, bicycled across town without supervision, and checked out books from the county bookmobile. Remember a quieter world without mobile phones and video games, a world where boys learned how to get along without the nagging oversight of their parents as they fought through problems themselves -- learning life-changing lessons even in their foolish and short-sighted solutions to thorny and complex concerns. See how boys scrounged for spending cash in old-fashioned families quick to provide love and discipline to their children, but slower yet to indulge mere boys anything more than food, clothing, and shelter. Still, The Trouble with Girls is far more ...

Genre: Literary Fiction

LOOSE ENDS IN YOKOHAMA: A STORY OF A MAN ON A MISSION TO MAKE PEACE WITH HIS PAST by ALEX LUND (27 Reviews)    Price verified 2 hours ago

"... an emotional powerhouse of a story." (Readers' Favorite review by K.C. Finn)Abandoned as a child. Half-Japanese, half-American. Ron Jackson is a self-made man of few words who has been through decades of hardship building up a successful bar business in Yokohama. As he finally gets ready to enjoy life in retirement, an unexpected meeting jolts his entire world. Ron decides to set out on a mission to make peace with his past, marked by ruthlessness, bitterness, and suppressed love. "Ron's journey of re-examining his life was an eye-opener. Even as the story delves into deep introspection, the narrative flowed like a serene stream of water. Every character evoked a sense of warmth in me.""At the end of the story, I was left with a deep sense of gratitude for my life's blessings."(Review by Soumya Sreehari for Readers' Favorite)

Genre: Literary Fiction

Hide Away: A Melanie Michaels Novel (The Away Series Book 1) by Elle Anderson (Self-published) (13 Reviews)    Price verified 2 hours ago

Strong women, sexy males, secluded beaches, and the best friend every girl wishes she had. Melanie Michaels worked hard for five years to get her life back to normal. Her hard work is halted when she stumbles upon two men who belong to an agency specializing in the removal of criminals from society. Learning of the existence of the agency endangers her life once again, but when the men change from being her captors to her rescuers, Melanie recognizes the value of the relationship. With her life still in danger, Melanie goes into hiding where she finds a relationship that builds her strength and confidence and proves to her that she has not been living her life to the fullest. When her new love goes missing, she reaches out to the agency to help her find him. During the search, she learns the importance of love and friends and she must decide what will make her life complete, while battling through an increasingly familiar world of violence and death. The beginning of a thrilling series that focuses on a woman's strength and independence while also accepting there are some things a man is good for. *** Contains Adult Content! ***

Genre: Literary Fiction

Palomar Knots by Anndee Fonnesbeck (36 Reviews)    Price verified 3 hours ago

Thea rarely felt welcome in her own home. After being placed for adoption as an infant, then losing her new mother a few months later, she was left to be raised by a silent, reluctant father. Moving to college seems like the perfect escape, her first chance at independence. When she is forced to return home after just one semester, Thea must finally face everything she had hoped to leave behind. Palomar Knots is a dramatic coming-of-age story about love and learning that family is who we choose.

Genre: Literary Fiction

Getaway: A Melanie Michaels Novel (The Away Series Book 2) by Elle Anderson (1 Review)    Price verified 3 hours ago

Book 2 in the thrilling Melanie Michaels Series. Melanie and Gabriel are ready to live happily ever after. However, there is a hiccup in their fantasy as Melanie attempts to fit her larger than life man in her tiny bungalow. Accustomed to living alone, she feels smothered by the former assassin who has inserted himself into every aspect of her life. As if the stress of a new relationship isn't enough to handle, Simonov has been released from prison and has a vendetta to settle. He will stop at nothing to seek vengeance against Melanie and Gabriel and no one is off limits. Gabriel's sexy ex, two kidnappings, and Ivan's pasty white skin on the beach... a Hawaiian getaway turns into a vacation nightmare! Sex, guns, and sharks... Melanie Michaels is at it again. ***Contains adult content!!!***

Genre: Literary Fiction

The Demon's Crystal: A Thrilling Sci-Fi Adventure by P.J. Jay (108 Reviews)    Price verified 2 hours ago

For Eric Frost, Madagascar is a place of beauty and learning. A researcher in bio-robotics, Eric finds the sheer variety of flora and fauna fascinating - but when he finds Unseen Madagascar, an unassuming book by a missing British author named Richard Walters, Eric learns that there's more to the nation than meets the eye. The text speaks of an island off the coast of Madagascar known only as Demon Island. There, the author suggests, lives an isolated and hostile tribe of natives who seem to jealously guard something held deeper in the island's interior. Eric, along with his friends Ivy and Max, pledge to get to the bottom of the mystery. They travel to Madagascar and begin to plan a journey out to Demon Island, but instead they meet the mysterious Daniel, a self-proclaimed American explorer full of dark warnings and vague stories. He eventually agrees to help Eric and his friends get to Demon Island, but at a price... ****************************************** Dear Readers, Thank you for your interest in exploring new realms and adventures. We're excited to announce that 'The Demon's Crystal' has been creatively reimagined and is now divided into two parts for an even richer reading experience. Dive into 'The Demon Island' by P.J. Jay (by visiting this link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZJTPFFS or search by typing 'The Demon Island by P.J. Jay' on Amazon), the first instalment of this updated and enhanced saga, available on Amazon for FREE on KU (Kindle Unlimited). Discover the revised storyline that promises to captivate your imagination like never before. You can checkout this ebook for a captivating glimpse into 'The Demon Island' -- your gateway to an uncharted realm of intrigue and adventure. Regards, P.J. Jay (a.k.a. Lenard Hale)

Genre: Literary Fiction