Tim Tharp Books In Order

Falling Dark

Set in rural Oklahoma on the backside of ’60s idealism, this story follows the lives of several fallen dreamers, including Donna Bless, the alcoholic mother of two boys; Sam Casey, whose mari*juana crop is ready for picking; and Roy Dale, a wiry, bitter man who connects them all. If Roy Dale is the dark center of this novel, Sam Casey’s farm provides the light. The characters move through several small town settings bars, the grocery store, beat up subdivisions, the local high school and even up to Tulsa, but everyone is at some point drawn to the farm that was once a commune, complete with geodesic dome. Writing in the voice of a storyteller, Tim Tharp re creates a contemporary small town and moves inside the minds and hearts of its people. His tale delineates the fragility and difficulty of redemption and questions whether new growth can come from dying leaves, faded ideals, and crushed lives.

Knights of the Hill Country

In a small Oklahoma town, one star linebacker must decide what kind of man he wants to be both on and off the field.
Welcome to Kennisaw where Friday night high school football ranks right up there with God and country, and sometimes even comes in first. This year, the Kennisaw Knights are going for their fifth straight undefeated season, and if they succeed, they’ll be more than the best high school team in the eastern Oklahoma hill country they’ll be legends.

But the Knights’ legacy is a heavy weight to carry for Hampton, linebacker and star of the team. On the field, he’s so in control you’d think he was able to stop time. But his life off the field is a different story. His father walked out on him and his mom years ago, and now his mom has a new boyfriend every week. He’s drawn to a smart, quirky girl at school the type a star athlete just isn’t supposed to associate with. And meanwhile, his best friend and teammate Blaine the true friend who first introduced Hampton to football back when he had nothing else is becoming uncomfortably competitive, and he’s demanding Hampton’s loyalty even as Hampton thinks he’s going too far.

This unforgettable novel is the story of a boy whose choices will decide the kind of man he becomes, and raises powerful questions about sportsmanship, loyalty, and the deceptiveness of legends.

From the Hardcover edition.

The Spectacular Now

So, my beautiful fat girlfriend, Cassidy, is threatening to kick me to the curb again, my best friend suddenly wants to put the brakes on our lives of fabulous fun, my mom and big sister are plotting a future in which I turn into an atomic vampire, and my dad, well, my dad is a big fat question mark that I’m not sure I want the answer to.

Some people would let a senior year like this get them down. Not me. I’m Sutter Keely, master of the party. I’m your man when it comes to cranking the wild times. But don’t mistake a midnight philosopher like me for nothing more than a shallow party boy. Just ask Aimee, the new girl in my life. She saw the depth of the Sutterman from that first moment when she found me passed out on the front lawn. Okay, so she’s a social disaster; but that’s where I come in. Isn’t it my duty to show her a splendiferous time, and then let her go forth and prosper?

Yes, life is weird, but I embrace the weird. Let everyone else go marching off into their great shining futures if they want. Me, I’ve always been more than content to tip my whiskey bottle and take a ride straight into the heart of The Spectacular Now.

Badd

Ceejay has never been pretty or popular, but she knows who she is: she’s younger sister to Bobby, the most charming bad boy in town. Bobby’s a bit wild, but with his big heart and sense of fun, everybody loves him. And nobody understands Ceejay like Bobby. Now, Ceejay can’t wait for Bobby to return home from his tour in Iraq. But then he turns up unannounced and seems to be avoiding his family. And he’s so different. His wild streak has become reckless. His sense of fun has become desperate. And seeing this, Ceejay’s own tough shell begins to crack. How can she believe in being strong when her hero is broken?As she tries to get Bobby back, Ceejay begins to reexamine her family, her community, and everyone in her life. What she finds is that true strength is not quite what she thought it was.