Two new freebies, both categorized as contemporary fiction:
The Goddess Of Fried Okra, by Jean Brashear
Book Description
Grief. Hope. Love. Sword fights. And the crisp glory of fried okra. Ex-cocktail waitress and "convenience story professional" Eudora "Pea" O'Brien is filled with grief and regret, low on cash and all alone. Headed down the hot, dusty back roads of central Texas, Pea is convinced she'll find a sign leading her to the reincarnated soul of the sister who raised her. A sign that she's found her place in the world of the living again. At least that's what the psychic promised. In an unforgettably funny and poignant journey, Pea collects an unlikely family of strays-a starving kitten, a pregnant teenager, a sexy con man trying to go straight, and a ferocious gun dealer named Glory, who introduces Pea to the amazing, sword-wielding warrior goddesses of Texas author Robert E. Howard-creator of the Conan the Barbarian novels-and celebrated in festival every year. Six foot tall, red-headed Pea looks good with a sword in her hand. Glory, the goddesses, and a grandmotherly café owner become Pea's unlikely gurus as she struggles to learn swordplay and the art of perfect fried okra. She'll have to master both if she's going to find what matters most-her own lost soul.
A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street, by Milam McGraw Propst, was originally written as a children's book, but changes were made to target adults as well before it went to print, on the recommendation of the publisher Mercer University Press.
Book Description
A special family story that will make you laugh outloud and quietly cry. Girls and boys who enjoy the Dear America series and American Girl books would like this book, and adults would enjoy reading it aloud to chilren. Based on Milam Propst's own Mississippi born grandmother whose mother died when she was nine, A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street is a true coming of age story set at the turn of the century, primarily in Asheville. There is enough emotional authenticity and fun in Ociee whether it is her fear of the gypsies or playfulness with her brothers to keep this book from being too sugary sweet. It reads well and ends well and stands alone as quality children's literature.
Ociee triumphs over the sadness, fear, and anxiety of the painful occurrences of her early life. In doing just that, she will bloom in a new garden and weave her charm into the fabric of those who come to know her in a new home on Charlotte Street.