Other books that might interest you

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  The Burning Secret

  Stefan Zweig

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  "The Burning Secret" by Stefan Zweig is a captivating novella that delves into the complexities of human emotions and relationships. Set against the backdrop of an Austrian resort in the early 20th century, the story revolves around a young baron who, in his pursuit of an intriguing woman, unwittingly befriends her young son. This friendship becomes a strategic tool in his quest, leading to an intricate web of deceit, passion, and emotional turmoil. Zweig masterfully explores themes of innocence, manipulation, and the subtle dynamics of human interaction. The boy's innocent perspective contrasts sharply with the baron's more worldly views, creating a tension that drives the narrative forward. As the baron's intentions become clearer, the story unfolds into a compelling exploration of secrecy and the burning desires that drive us. The author's signature psychological depth is on full display, offering readers a nuanced look at the characters' inner lives. The lush descriptions of the Austrian countryside provide a serene backdrop to the turbulent emotions that simmer beneath the surface.

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  Maxim Gorky - A Short Story...

  Maxim Gorky

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  Alexei Maximovich Peshkov was born on 28th March 1868, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. 
   
  Better known as Maxim Gorky he was orphaned at 11 and ran away from home at 12.  At 19 he had already attempted suicide and thereafter travelled, by foot, across the Russian Empire for 5 years. 
   
  His first book ‘Essays & Stories’ in 1898 was a sensation and so began a long career as an author of short stories, novels and plays.  Gorky saw writing as a moral and political act that would help to change the unjust world around him.  He was an ardent early advocate of the emerging Marxist movement and publicly opposed the Tsarist regime leading several times to his arrest.  
   
  In 1904 he began his own theatre but the censor banned every play and Gorky was forced to abandon the project. 
   
  But Gorky was a financially successful author, editor, and playwright and gave monies to political parties as well as for civil rights and social reform.  The brutal shooting of workers, which set in motion the Revolution of 1905, pushed Gorky more decisively toward radical solutions.  
   
  In 1906 he went to the United States to raise funds for the Bolsheviks. Those experiences including a scandal over travelling with his lover and not his wife deepened his contempt for the ‘bourgeois soul.’ 
   
  Gorky now moved to Capri in Italy, both for health reasons and to escape the increasingly repressive times in Russia.  
   
  An amnesty for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty saw him return to Russia in 1914. His politics remained close to the Bolshevik cause.  But soon, after the 1918 revolution, his essays referred to Lenin as a tyrant for his senseless arrests and repression.  He was soon appealing to the outside world for food aid after the catastrophic crop failure. 
   
  In October 1921 Gorky returned to Italy, now in Fascist hands, and settled in Sorrento until 1932.  His health worsened with the onset of tuberculosis. 
   
  He wrote several successful books there but now decided to find an understanding with the communist regime. Stalin invited him home and his return was hailed as a major propaganda victory.  He was decorated with the Order of Lenin, and a province, a park, and various streets re-named in his honour. 
   
  But he had his faults too.  In 1933, Gorky co-edited a book on the White Sea-Baltic Canal and denied even a single prisoner died during its construction, but thousands had. As well, knowing that some Nazis were homosexual, a phrase was attributed to him that said ‘exterminate all homosexuals and fascism will vanish’.  Although he was himself was quoting another he was decidedly homophobic. 
   
  With the increase of Stalinist repression in 1935 Gorky was placed under unannounced house arrest. 
   
  Maxim Gorky died on the 18th June 1936 from pneumonia.  He was 68. 
   
  Stalin and Molotov were among those who carried Gorky's urn of ashes at his funeral. 
   
  01 - Maxim Gorky - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  02 - Twenty-Six Men and a Girl by Maxim Gorky 
  03 - One Autumn Night by Maxim Gorky 
  04 - In The Steppe by Maxim Gorky 
  05 - Her Lover by Maxim Gorky 
  06 - Chelkash - Part 1 by Maxim Gorky 
  07 - Chelkash - Part 2 by Maxim Gorky 
  08 - Chelkash - Part 3 by Maxim Gorky

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  Short Stories About Gambling - A...

  Alexander Puschkin, D H...

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  When you are winning gambling seems very easy.  You place a bet and receive your winnings. The thrill is a joyous electric shock of joy and applause.  And winnings. 
   
  If you lose, well, at first you know your luck will turn.  It must, you’re a winner.  But if your luck fails, and keeps failing, misery endures and then envelops your life.  Everything is centered on that next roll of the dice, the turn of the card …. Nothing else matters. You are addicted.  
   
  01 - Short Stories About Gambling - An Introduction 
  02 - The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin 
  03 - The Rocking Horse Winner by D H Lawrence 
  04 - After the Race by James Joyce 
  05 - The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calveras County by Mark Twain 
  06 - A Bread and Butter Miss by Saki 
  07 - Brown of Calaveras by Bret Harte 
  08 - A Guardian of Morality by Anthony Hope 
  09 - The Bet by Anton Chekhov 
  10 - The Bet by Barry Pain 
  11 - Sir Julian Garve by Ella D'Arcy 
  12 - Tennessee's Partner by Bret Harte 
  13 - A Terribly Strange Bed by Wilkie Collins

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  Spaceman Spiritus

  Mark Warford

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  Haunting and sly and revealing and moving into the realm of myth, Spaceman Spiritus is an unflinching expression of the vulnerabilities that make us human. 
  Spaceman Spiritus is a prisoner, found guilty of the enduring crime of solitude, sentenced to labor far underground somewhere in a distant galaxy. Peel is a rancher, a man tracing a lifetime of memories for those he loved and for the natural world around him. He’s about to plummet back to Earth with an angel by his side. And as for Martha and Pup, well...they’re the dogs charged with saving us all. 
  Told in a braid of voices, Spaceman Spiritus weaves the trajectory of these characters into a thrilling, provocative, and ultimately, heart-wrenching allegory wrestling with the bonds of love and loss and what should be, in fact, the simplest of acts—going home. 
  ©2022 Mark Warford (P)2022 Mark Warford

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  The Sea-Wolf

  Jack London

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  In "The Sea-Wolf" by Jack London, a refined literary critic, Humphrey Van Weyden, finds himself thrust into the brutal world of the sea after being rescued by the seal-hunting schooner, Ghost. Commanded by the ruthless and enigmatic Wolf Larsen, Van Weyden must adapt to the harsh life onboard and navigate the psychological and physical battles with Larsen. Through trials of strength and intellect, London's gripping narrative explores themes of survival, power, and the human spirit.

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  The Dangers of Female Provocation

  Zoe Coyle

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  Vengeance is coming. 
  Odessa Odin has it all – a successful career, an adoring husband and a close circle of friends to whom she is fiercely loyal. On the surface they’re living a glittering London life of wealth and cosseted privilege, but underneath this veneer lies painful truths of betrayal, neglect and unfulfilled ambitions. It’s a tightrope of holding themselves and their marriages together as their men transgress the promises they made at the altar with the blithe entitlement they’ve enjoyed all their lives. For the women, there’s just too much to lose. 
    
  When Odessa discovers her husband is having an affair, her carefully constructed life falls away, and the mask slips to reveal a vast reservoir of rage, fed up with the ways the patriarchy stack the odds against her sisterhood. Training her sights on her friends’ husbands, Odessa becomes an avenging warrior – aiming to chasten them into being better partners, picking them off one compromising situation at a time… 
    
  But as Odessa’s mission becomes all-consuming, it blinds her to the reality that the score is about to be evened in a way she could never anticipate. 
    
  The Dangers of Female Provocation is a razor-sharp, delicious testament to the force of women stepping into their own power.  
   
  Praise for Where the Light Gets In 
  'This beautiful, inspirational book is stuffed full of hard-won wisdom. Stunning.' The Daily Mail UK 
   
   
  'A heart-tearing, character-driven page-turner about a troubled family, losing and finding one's way, and the cycle of life.' LoveReading

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