Other books that might interest you

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  Birthday Celebrations (Unabridged)

  Charles Dickens

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  Charles Dickens was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
  BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS: It came into my mind that I would recall in these notes a few of the many hostelries I have rested at in the course of my journeys; and, indeed, I
  had taken up my pen for the purpose, when I was baffled by an accidental circumstance.

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  The Queen of Spades

  Alexander Pushkin

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  What would you trade for the secret to unimaginable fortune? In Alexander Pushkin's The Queen of Spades, an ambitious young officer becomes entangled in a web of greed, mystery, and the supernatural, all centered around the fateful queen of spades.
  Set in the glittering salons and shadowy streets of St. Petersburg, this story unravels with a mix of elegance and unease. Pushkin's sharp storytelling brings to life characters who are as unpredictable as the hands they're dealt—where ambition collides with madness, and destiny plays its cruelest game.
  Prepare to be captivated by a tale that feels timeless yet full of surprises. As you listen, keep an ear out for the whispers of fate—because in this game, the stakes are higher than they seem.
  Would you dare to play?

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  Hide And Seek - From their pens...

  Fyodor Sologub

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  Fyodor Kuzmich Teternikov was born on 1st March 1863 in St. Petersburg into the family of a poor tailor.  When his father died of tuberculosis in 1867, his illiterate mother was forced to become a servant in the home of an aristocrat, where Sologub and his younger sister grew up.  
  Seeing how difficult his mother's life was, Sologub was determined to rescue her from it, and after graduating from the St. Petersburg Teachers' Institute in 1882 he took his mother and sister with him to his first teaching post in Kresttsy.  It was here he began his literary career in 1884 with his poem ‘The Fox and the Hedgehog’ under the name Te-rnikov. 
  It would be another decade before he could escape his various jobs to move to Moscow and begin his literary career on what would be his most famous novel, ‘The Petty Demon’.  It was now suggested that he use a pseudonym and so Sologub became his new identity. 
  In 1896 he published a book of poems, a collection of short stories, and his first novel, ‘Bad Dreams’, which is considered one of the first decadent Russian novels. 
  In 1905 ‘The Petty Demon’, was published, initially in serial form. But life was still difficult unrewarding jobs, little time to write and a small, cramped apartment lightened only by gatherings of friends, poets and writers. 
  By the October Revolution his work was becoming popular and with the novel of ‘The Petty Demon’, finally published as a book, he now had a growing income. 
  His sister's tuberculosis could now be more easily treated with treatments in proper sanitoria, even as far away as Finland, but in June 1907 she passed. 
  He returned to St. Petersburg and retired.  The following year he married the translator Anastasia Chebotarevskaya who reordered his life.  A big new apartment was rented, small gilt chairs were bought, and the walls of the large cold office were decorated with paintings. 
  Sologub continued to write and publish poems, plays, and translations and in 1914 he started a magazine, Writers' Journals, but the outbreak of World War I put an end to it.  
  The October Revolution, with publishing under Bolshevik control, ensured he now had no outlets for his writing and could only lecture. 
  His wife’s suicide in September 1921, mainly due to deprivation and uncertainty, as they prepared for a new life abroad, grieved him for the rest of his life. 
  In May 1927 Sologub became seriously ill, and by summer he could leave his bed only rarely.  
  After a long struggle, Fyodor Sologub died on 5th December 1927 in Leningrad.  He was 64.

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  Adventures of Sherlock Holmes...

  Arthur Conan Doyle, Classic...

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  The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the third book in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary series about the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes. This classic collection of twelve thrilling detective stories showcases Holmes's unparalleled skills in observation and deduction, alongside his loyal companion, Dr. John Watson. Set in Victorian England, each tale unravels a new, intricate mystery, ranging from theft to murder, while exploring the complexities of human nature and justice.This volume includes iconic adventures like "A Scandal in Bohemia," where Holmes meets the clever Irene Adler, and "The Speckled Band," one of the most suspenseful and chilling cases. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a timeless masterpiece and an essential part of any mystery lover's library.Table of Contents:1. A Scandal in Bohemia2. The Red-Headed League3. A Case of Identity4. The Boscombe Valley Mystery5. The Five Orange Pips6. The Man with the Twisted Lip7. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle8. The Adventure of the Speckled Band9. The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb10. The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor11. The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet12. The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

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  Manon Lescaut

  Abbé Prevost

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  ‘The sweetness of her glance – or rather, my evil star already in its
  ascendant and drawing me to my ruin – did not allow me to hesitate
  for a moment...’ So begins the story of Manon Lescaut, a tale of
  passion and betrayal, of delinquency and misalliance, which moves
  from early 18th-century Paris – with its theatres, assemblies, and
  gaming-houses – via prison and deportation to a tragic denouement
  in the treeless wastes of Louisiana. It is one of the great love stories,
  and also one of the most enigmatic: how reliable a witness is Des
  Grieux, Manon’s lover, whose tale he narrates? Is Manon a thief and
  a whore, the image of love itself, or a thoroughly modern woman?
  Prévost is careful to leave the ambiguities unresolved, and to lay bare
  the disorders of passion.

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  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

  L. Frank Baum

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  The story follows a young girl named Dorothy who is swept away by a tornado from her home in Kansas to the magical Land of Oz. In this strange new world, she meets a scarecrow in need of a brain, a tin man who wants a heart, and a cowardly lion who wants courage. Together, they embark on a journey to meet the Wizard of Oz, hoping he can help them with their problems. Along the way, they encounter various obstacles and characters, both friendly and dangerous, as they make their way to the Wizard's city of emeralds. In the end, they discover that the Wizard is not the all-powerful being they thought he was, and that the answers they were seeking were within themselves all along. With its timeless themes of friendship, determination, and self-discovery, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a beloved classic of children's literature.

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