Other books that might interest you

• 

  Bliss and Other Stories

  Katherine Mansfield

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  A collection of short stories by Katherine Mansfield, widely recognized as one of the greatest writers of her period, that capture with accuracy those emotionally-charged moments when an individual is most revealing.
  Prelude / Je ne Parle pas Français / Bliss / The Wind Blows / Psychology / Pictures / The Man without a Temperament / Mr. Reginald Peacock’s Day / Sun and Moon / Feuille d’Album / A Dill Pickle / The Little Governess / Revelations / The Escape

  Show book

• 

  The Odd Women

  George Gissing

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Before he was 21 George Gissing conceived the ambition of writing a long series of novels, somewhat in the manner of Balzac, whom he admired. The first of these, Workers in the Dawn, appeared in 1880, to be followed by 21 others. Between 1886 and 1895 he published one or more novels every year. He also wrote Charles Dickens: A Critical Study (1898), a perceptive piece of literary criticism. 
   
  Gissing's work has a good deal of documentary interest for its detailed and accurate accounts of lower-middle-class London life. On the social position and psychology of women, he is particularly acute: The Odd Women is a powerful study of female frustration. He did not lack human sympathies, but his obvious contempt for so many of his characters reflects an artistic limitation. Gissing was deeply critical, in an almost wholly negative way, of contemporary society. Of his novels, New Grub Street, considered by some critics to be his only great book, is unique in its merciless analysis of the compromises required by the literary life. 
   
  Gissing's 1893 novel takes on the 19th century "Woman Question" by looking at themes of feminism, marriage, and love. The novel raises these issues through the lives of several contrasting women: Mary Barfoot, a feminist philanthropist who helps train women for careers; her close friend Rhoda Nunn, who believes marriage is a disastrous choice for women; and Monica Madden, who starts out as one of their protegees but chooses to marry a seemingly kind older man. As Monica experiences the challenges of married life, Rhoda finds herself drawn to Mary's cousin, the charming but apparently profligate Everard

  Show book

• 

  The Moving Picture Girls

  Laura Lee Hope

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  "From the quiet of the country to the glare of the studio lights—the Hosmer sisters are ready for their close-up!"
  
  Ruth and Alice Hosmer are not your typical turn-of-the-century heroines. When their father, a talented but struggling actor, loses his voice, the family's future looks bleak—until a chance encounter leads them to the "moving pictures." In The Moving Picture Girls, the sisters brave social stigma and technical mishaps to become stars of the silent screen. This isn't just a story of fame; it's an adventure filled with daring stunts, rivalries between film companies, and the mechanical mysteries of the first cameras. Join Ruth and Alice as they navigate the transition from the theatrical stage to the flickering magic of the cinema.
  
  A Window into Cinematic History: Written when the film industry was still in its infancy, this book provides a fascinating historical account of how "flickers" were actually made. From the "cranking" of the camera to the dangers of nitrate film and the lack of artificial lighting, it captures the raw, experimental energy of early Hollywood-style production before it moved to California.
  
  Sisters of Action: While Ruth is the responsible, thoughtful eldest, Alice is the spirited and daring younger sister. Their bond is the heart of the series as they face the "villains" of the film world—dishonest producers and jealous rivals—while proving that girls can be just as resourceful and brave as any leading man.
  
  The "New Woman" of the 1910s: The Hosmer sisters represent a shift in juvenile fiction toward more independent female leads. They travel, earn their own living, and solve problems using their wits and newfound professional skills, making them precursors to later icons like Nancy Drew.
  
  Lights! Camera! Adventure! Purchase "The Moving Picture Girls" today.

  Show book

• 

  A Hunger Artist - A study in...

  Franz Kafka

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Franz Kafka was born on 3rd July 1883 in Prague, then in Bohemia, the eldest of 6, into a middle-class Jewish family. 
   
  Life for the young Kafka and his passion for literature was often made an ordeal by his over-bearing and domineering entrepreneur of a father.   
   
  In 1889 Kafka was sent to the Deutsche Knabenschule, an elementary school in Prague. His father would only allow him to be educated in German-speaking schools and even went so far as to limit visits to the synagogue to four a year. 
   
  In 1901 he graduated from the classics-oriented Altstädter Gymnasium. Kafka did well there and across a large range of subjects.  He now enrolled at the Charles Ferdinand University, to study chemistry, but quickly switched to law for which he obtained his degree in June 1906 and then performed the mandatory year of unpaid service as clerk at the civil and criminal courts. 
   
  A job at an Italian insurance company left him little time to write and after a year he took another job with the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia where he stayed until ill health led to his resignation in 1922. 
   
  Although he saw work as a means to pay the bills and to allow him time to write, he received several promotions and was noted as a good employee. 
   
  By 1917 Kafka was suffering from tuberculosis, which required frequent periods of convalescence. Interspersed with this, were several intense affairs before he settled in Berlin with Dora Diamant, a 25-year-old kindergarten teacher who herself having left the ghetto now influenced Kafka's interest in the book of Jewish law, the Talmud. 
   
  Kafka’s on-going health was littered with problems. Apart from TB there were several other ailments, including migraines, insomnia, boils, depression, all usually brought on by excessive stresses and strains. He attempted to counteract all of this by naturopathic treatments, a vegetarian diet and consuming large quantities of unpasteurized milk. 
   
  His tuberculosis still worsened. He returned to Prague, where he died on 3rd June 1924. He was 40. 
   
  His literary works are few in number but towering in influence.  His masterpieces include ‘The Trial’, ‘The Metamorphosis’ as well as a number of short stories which reveal facets of humankind that truthfully could only be born from Kafka’s brain and pen.

  Show book

• 

  The Canterville Ghost

  Oscar Wilde

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  "The Canterville Ghost" The first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in the magazine The Court and Society Review in February 1887. When a family from the United States buys Canterville Chase, they are told it is haunted by a horrible spirit, but this does not deter them in the slightest. Indeed, when they find a recurring blood stain on the floor, and hear creaking chains in the night, even seeing the ghost himself, all they do is clean up the blood and insist that the ghost oil his manacles if he is going to keep living in the house. This perturbs the ghost to no end, and he does everything he can to try to frighten the family.

  Show book

• 

  Diary of a Mad Man

  Guy de Maupassant

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Title: The Diary of a Madman 
  Author: Guy de Maupassant 
  Narrator: Jonathan Dunne 
  Original Publication: 1885 
  Public Domain: Yes 
  Series Placement: Number 14 in the Timeless Terrors series 
  Description: 
  The Diary of a Madman by Guy de Maupassant is a chilling study of psychological horror and the fragility of sanity. First published in 1885, it presents the private writings of a respected judge whose outward civility hides a dark descent into obsession and cruelty. 
  Told through the intimate form of diary entries, the story reveals the gradual unraveling of a mind — a voice both rational and terrifyingly unhinged. Maupassant strips away the veneer of normalcy to expose the horrors lurking within the human psyche. 
  This recording, narrated by Amazon bestselling horror author Jonathan Dunne, captures the eerie intimacy and creeping dread that defines Maupassant’s tale. While the text is in the public domain, this performance is an original work and copyright © 2025 Jonathan Dunne. 
  This audiobook is part of Timeless Terrors, a dedicated series bringing classic horror back to life — stories from the great masters of the macabre, narrated afresh to haunt a new generation. 
  Listeners should be prepared for an unsettling exploration of madness, hidden violence, and the shadows that dwell in ordinary men.

  Show book