Escape the Ordinary Resources Fiction
Carl, JoAnna. The Chocolate Cat Caper After accepting a job supplying chocolate from her aunt’s luxury chocolate business to a party for unpopular defense attorney Clementine Ripley, Lee McKinney’s takes on a new job as detective when someone adds cyanide to a chocolate confection eaten by the hostess.
Dekker, Ted. Black Thomas Hunter narrowly survives a shooting attempt only to awaken in an alternate universe. Up against a deadly virus and terrorists, Hunter must fight two wars in two worlds in order to save all life.
Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate Despite the fact that she has fallen in love with a young man, Tita, the youngest of three daughters born to a tyrannical rancher, must obey tradition and remain single and at home to care for her mother.
Fluke, Joanne. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder Hannah Swensen’s supplies are delivered daily by Ron LaSalle, whom she often passes on her way to work. On this fateful day, Ron’s truck is parked behind the store, but he fails to appear. When Hannah finds him seated in the truck, the window open, a bullet through his chest, she is inspired to work her way through the townspeople, looking for a motive for his death.
Fraction, Matt. Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon Clint Barton—aka, the self-made hero Hawkeye—fights for justice in this graphic novel.
Grossman, Austin. Soon I Will Be Invincible When Doctor Impossible, an evil genius and ambitious wannabe world dominator, launches a new plot to seize control of the world, Fatale, a woman built by the NSA to be the next generation of weaponry, joins a group of misfit superheroes in their quest to destroy him.
Keneally, Thomas. Schindler’s List Keneally based his novel on the remarkable activities and courage of Oskar Schindler, a Catholic German industrialist who gambled everything to save as many Jews as possible from the Nazi death camps.
Kirkman, Robert. Invincible: Ultimate Collection Includes the first thirteen issues of Robert Kirkman’s Eisner-nominated superhero comic.
Laurie, Hugh. The Gun Seller The irresistible tale of Thomas Lang, former Scots Guard-turned-hired gun, now a freelance soldier of fortune who's also one heck of a nice guy. Up against rogue CIA agents, wannabe terrorists, and a high-tech arms dealer, he's out to save his love...and prevent an international bloodbath. Escape the Ordinary Resources
Lawhead, Stephen. Hood For centuries, the legend of Robin Hood and his band of thieves has captivated the imagination. Now the hero takes on new life, fresh meaning, and an unexpected setting. Prepare yourself for an epic tale that dares to shatter everything you thought you knew about Robin Hood.
Martin, George R.R. (ed.) Wild Cards 1 A collection of stories about heroes gifted with strange, superhuman powers, with contributions by authors such as George R.R. Martin, Roger Zelazny, David D. Levine, and Carrie Vaughn.
Miller, Frank. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns The Dark Knight Returns tells the story of Bruce Wayne, who at age fifty-five returns from retirement to fight crime despite opposition from the Gotham City police force and the United States government.
Moore, Alan. Watchmen This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all-too-human failings.
Niffenegger, Audrey. Her Fearful Symmetry When Elspeth Noblin dies, she leaves everything to the 20-year-old American twin daughters of her own long-estranged twin, Edie. Valentina and Julia, as close as Elspeth and Edie once were, move into Elspeth's London flat and through a series of developing relationships a crisis arises that could pull the twins apart.
Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation's history, two armies fought for two dreams. One dreamed of freedom, the other of a way of life. Far more than rifles and bullets were carried into battle: Memories, promises, love. Far more than heroes fell on those Pennsylvania fields.
Sloan, Robin. Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco web-design drone and landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. After just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. The bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls.
Waid, Mark. Kingdom Come Kingdom Come gathers the critically acclaimed Elseworlds saga by Mark Waid and Alex Rossin in a single-volume. It’s an epic graphic novel that pits the old guard—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and their allies—against a new, uncompromising generation of heroes
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Wallace, Daniel. Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions When his attempts to get to know his dying father fail, William Bloom makes up stories that recreate his father's life in heroic proportions. Big Fish is that story, told as a series of legends and myths inspired by the few facts that William knows.
Weir, Andy. The Martian The Martian focuses on astronaut Mark Watney, who becomes one of the first men to walk on Mars and, shortly after, one of the first to be presumed dead on Mars after a freak storm forces the rest of his crew to take off and leave him behind. Watney isn't dead, and he spends the balance of the book using his brains to stay alive on the Red Planet.
Nonfiction
Adams, Mark. Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time Adams recreates Hiram Bingham III’s discovery of the ancient citadel Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The author describes his struggles with rudimentary survival tools and his experiences with local guides.
Albergotti, Reed and Vanessa O’Connell. Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever The authors provide an-depth look at Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal, the phenomenal business success built on the back of fraud, and the greatest conspiracy in the history of sports.
Atwood, Kathryn J. Women Heroes of World War II: 26 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Resistance and Rescue These twenty-six suspense-filled stories unfold from across Germany, Poland, Great Britain, the United States, and more, providing an inspiring reminder of women’s and girls’ refusal to sit on the sidelines during wartime.
Barron, T.A. The Hero’s Trail: A Guide for a Heroic Life This children’s book explores how to lead a heroic life, facing challenges with courage, strength of character, and wisdom, much as a hiker uses those qualities on a challenging trail.
Bascomb, Neal. The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, And Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It An excellent account of three men (Roger Bannister, John Landy, and Wes Santee) and their race to break the 4-minute mile barrier in the 1950s.
Bradley, James and Ron Powers. Flags of Our Fathers This is the story of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima.
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Brokaw, Tom. The Greatest Generation Brokaw tells the story of America’s citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War—and went on to build modern America.
Bryson, Bill. In a Sunburned Country Travel writer Bill Bryson chronicles his experiences and profiles the people and wildlife he encountered while traveling through Australia.
Brzezinski, Matthew. Isaac’s Army: A Story of Courage and Survival in Nazi-Occupied Poland The author describes the formation of one of the most daring underground movements of World War II, under the leadership of 24-year-old Isaac Zuckerman, and the group’s collective efforts to gather information, build an arms cache, participate in uprisings, and organize escape systems.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces Campbell outlines the Hero’s Journey, a universal motif of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world’s mythic traditions.
Corrigan, Kelly. Glitter and Glue: A Memoir Corrigan’s memoir examines the bond—sometimes nourishing, sometimes exasperating, occasionally divine—between mothers and daughters.
Dineson, Isak. Out of Africa Dinesen, whose real name was Karen Blixen, tells her story of the seventeen years she ran a coffee farm in Kenya.
Fried, Katrina. Everyday Heroes: 50 Americans Changing the World One Nonprofit at a Time Fried profiles the stories and causes of fifty individuals who made significant differences in the lives of those they helped, including Dress for Success founder Nancy Lubin and domestic violence activist Eve Ensler.
Gilbert, Elizabeth. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia Gilbert was in her thirties, had a husband and a house, and was trying for a baby—but she didn’t want any of it. A divorce and a turbulent love affair later, she emerged battered and bewildered, and realized it was time to pursue her own journey in search of three things she had been missing: pleasure, devotion, and balance.
Hafner, Katie. Mother Daughter Me: A Memoir The complex, deeply binding relationship between mothers and daughters is brought vividly to life in Katie Hafner’s memoir of the year she and her mother Helen spent working through, and triumphing over, a lifetime of unresolved emotions. Escape the Ordinary Resources
Hudson, Cindy. Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs Hudson offers all the how-to tips mothers need to start their own successful book clubs, describing her firsthand experience as the founder of two long-running mother-daughter book clubs. She includes suggestions on book topics and club guidelines, as well as how to keep the club going as daughters grow older.
Johnson, Paul. Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle Historian Johnson defines heroes broadly in this entertaining look at a variety of notable people and tells why he sees them as heroes.
Kimmel, Haven. She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana Kimmel crafts a tender portrait of her mother, a modestly heroic woman who took the odds that life gave her and somehow managed to win.
Maraniss, David. Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero The author profiles the great baseball player and humanitarian, Roberto Clemente.
Maraniss, David. When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi This is the quintessential story of the American family: how Vince Lombardi, the son of an immigrant Italian butcher, rose to the top, and how his character and will to prevail transformed him, his wife, his children, his players, his sport, and ultimately the entire country.
Martin, Paul. Secret Heroes: Everyday Americans Who Shaped Our World This book illuminates the lives of thirty forgotten American heroes—remarkable stories about unknown champions, explorers, inventors, and innovators who never made the pages of American history textbooks.
Maslon, Laurence and Michael Kantor. Superheroes!: Capes, Cowls, and the Creation of Comic Book Culture This is the companion volume to the three-part PBS documentary series of the same name that tells the story of the superhero in American popular culture.
Meltzer, Brad. Heroes for My Daughter Meltzer collects the stories of fifty-five extraordinary heroes and ideal role models for girls, including Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, Anne Frank, Theodore Roosevelt, and the passengers of United Flight 93.
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Meltzer, Brad. Heroes for My Son When Brad Meltzer welcomed his first child into the world, he started keeping a list of heroes whose virtues and talents he wanted his son to share when he grew up. This is a collection of 52 extraordinary men and women, some celebrated across the globe and some lesser-known, but all heroes in their own right.
Moore, Christopher. Fighting for America: Black Soldiers—The Unsung Heroes of World War II Through letters, photographs, oral histories, and rare documents, historian Moore, the son of two black WWII veterans, describes the African-American contributions to winning World War II.
National Geographic. Secret Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Best Hidden Travel Gems Presents 500 off-the-beaten-path travel destinations around the world that are notable for their vistas, wildlife, and historical and cultural significance.
Opdyke, Irene Gut. In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer Irene Gut was just 17 in 1939, when the Germans and Russians devoured her native Poland. She was just a girl, really, but a girl who saw evil and chose to defy it.
Phillips, Gary and Christopher Chambers. The Darker Mask: Heroes from the Shadows A collection of original prose stories recalling the derring-do of superheroes and the worlds they fight to save.
Raban, Jonathan. Old Glory: A Voyage Down the Mississippi Chronicles British travel writer Jonathan Raban’s voyage down the Mississippi River on a sixteen-foot motorboat, with information about the people he met, the places he stopped, and the history of the Mississippi.
Ricca, Brad. Superboys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster--the Creators of Superman Ricca offers a comprehensive biography of the creators of the DC Comics superhero Superman.
Robinson, Jackie. I Never Had It Made Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball and devoted his life to achieving justice.
Rosenberg, Robin S. Superhero Origins: What Makes Superheroes Tick and Why We Care The author explores the origins stories of seven superheroes, how those stories have evolved over time, and what they can tell us about ourselves.
Santella, Chris. Once in a Lifetime Trips: The World’s 50 Most Extraordinary and Memorable Travel Experiences Santella provides a treasure trove of ideas for travels that are unique, decadent, and off the beaten path. Escape the Ordinary Resources
Schultz, Patricia. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die Schultz describes essential places to see, offering information on what to find at each spot and the best time to visit.
Smith, Keri. The Pocket Scavenger Smith sends readers on an unusual scavenger hunt, collecting a spectrum of random items that then must be altered in various ways to create something new.
Strayed, Cheryl. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail This is a powerful, honest, inspiring memoir: the story of a 1,100 mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe--and built her back up again.
Theroux, Paul. The Great Railway Bazaar Capturing telling details of landscape and character, novelist and travel writer Theroux records his travels from the deserts of Iran to the snowfields of Siberia on some of the great trains of the world.
Van Natta, Don. Wondergirl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias Describes the exceptional life and times of LPGA founder Babe Didrikson, the Texas woman who achieved All-American status in basketball, won gold medals in track and field in the 1932 Olympics, and became the first woman to play against men in a PGA tournament.
Williams, Sophia Orlovsky. Escape into Danger: The True Story of a Kievan Girl in World War II Williams tells her story of survival and coming of age in Russia and Germany during WWII.