Two brothers who have drifted apart, living on two different continents, meet in South Africa for a road trip and hoped for renewal of their relationship. Things turn out in the most unexpected way however.

Neighbors contains short humorous sketches of characters in a quirky neighborhood in a northern California city. Included in the book are a whimsical fictional piece, a memoir of an old friend, and an essay on fishing and aging.

Russell H. Conwell Founder Of Temple University Philadelphia.

Serafina Noland has a good life, a son she adores, a supportive family, and a successful career. The one thing she doesn’t have is a significant other, a partner to help her raise her son, Petey, someone to love her through thick and thin. Loneliness is often her companion, but she’s resigned herself to that and learned to be thankful for the life she and Petey have carved out in their little corner of the Appalachian foothills. While on vacation, she walks onto a Carolina beach and meets sinfully sexy businessman Levi Ewart. He’s thoughtful and kind and one of the most handsome men she’s ever met. The problem is he’s also entirely too young for her, and so far above her in every way possible, her head spins. What can a man like that possibly see in little ol’ her? How can she ever trust him not to walk out on her, the way Petey’s father did nearly nine years before? Sera’s age is never a problem for Levi. His own mother is centuries older than his father, and he’s witnessed dozens of couples in similar situations find their happily ever afters. He opens his heart to the reserved Sera and falls hard and fast for her and her son, but his secrets aren’t the only things standing in the way of true love. Sera’s past is a giant blight on their relationship, eating away at the core of their happiness, and Levi’s love may not be enough to overcome her doubts. Getting her to say yes to the future he wants to build with her may be the hardest task he’s ever undertaken, and the riskiest venture of his life.

In 1931, five individuals who met by chance in Glenwood, Minnesota, brought down a well-known mobster running a host of illegal businesses at a nearby secluded lake resort. Their efforts were kept secret to protect them from mob retribution. Unknown at the time was that a sixth person was affected by the aftermath of the police raid. Henry Hanson, a local town leader, had fled to Charleston, South Carolina and assumed a new identity to keep himself safe. Over the years, while dodging discovery by the mob, Hanson builds a hotel empire under the alias, Henry Granville. As retirement nears in 1960, however, he has two concerns. In case his shadowy past is ever revealed, he wants a written account of his life to defend himself and the reputation of his enterprise. Secondly, he must choose his successor, someone who would protect the image of the corporation. For the scribe he selects a young Minnesota journalist, Matt Lawton, just four years out of college and the son of two of the original five from that weekend back in 1931. Together, Lawton and Granville craft the older mans life story. In this second book of the Minnesota Lake series, Granville relates his early years as a leader of a lakeside community while being the de facto middleman dealing with a gangster-dominated lake resort. In doing so, he must avert his past life from causing the ruin of his current one.

When Spring Warren told her husband and two teenage boys that she wanted to grow 75 percent of all the food they consumed for one year, and that she wanted to do it in their yard, they told her she was crazy. She did it anyway. The Quarter-Acre Farm is Warren's account of deciding, despite all resistance, to take control of her family's food choices, get her hands dirty, and create a garden in her suburban yard. It's a story of bugs, worms, rot, and failure; of learning, replanting, harvesting, and eating. The road is long and riddled with mistakes, but by the end of her yearlong experiment, Warren's sons and husband have become her biggest fans, in fact, they're even eager to help harvest (and eat) the beautiful bounty she brings in. Full of tips and recipes to help anyone interested in growing and preparing at least a small part of their diet at home, The Quarter-Acre Farm is a warm, witty tale about family, food, and the incredible gratification that accompanies self-sufficiency.