Thank you, everyone for your help, especially AlvinFox! I will look up those books.
I had a relative remind me of the grinder story recently, and couldn't remember the name of the story or the book it was in, but I DO remember "Buckets," and began my search with that.
Funny enough, about 15 years ago, I grabbed a book from my Mom's house to read and really enjoyed it, but again, couldn't remember the name of the book. Had a girl named Quinn, and a guy who remembered everything he reads going to a prestigious medical school that uses subliminal messaging to change the students' morals. Yes, The Select!! I've been looking for that book for years now! Hopefully, it's available in E-Book format as well......
Thank you all again!