Other books that might interest you

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  Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure...

  Conan Doyle

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  Sir James Damery comes to see Holmes and Watson about his illustrious client's problem (the client's identity is never revealed to the reader, although Watson finds out at the end of the story; it is heavily implied to be King Edward VII). General de Merville's young daughter Violet has fallen in love with the roguish and sadistic Austrian Baron Adelbert Gruner, who Damery and Holmes are convinced is a shameless philanderer and a murderer. The victim was his last wife, of whose murder he was acquitted owing to a legal technicality and a witness's untimely death. She met her end in the Splügen Pass. Holmes also finds out that the Baron has expensive tastes and is a collector and a recognised authority on Chinese pottery.

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  The Story Collector

  Evie Woods

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  From the million-copy Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop! 
  In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything… 
  One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life. 
  In New York in the present day, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets – secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen. 
  With a taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Woods's latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales to tell.Readers have fallen in love with The Story Collector: 
  ‘I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction and want to learn more about Ireland and its folklore history surrounding the faeries.’ ★★★★★ 
  ‘Romantic and magical, an adventure to be enjoyed.’ ★★★★★ 
  ‘Painted beautifully.’ ★★★★★ 
  'A bewitching story which I will treasure.’ ★★★★★ 
  ‘A mystical treasure that echoes with the fairy world power of Ireland. A mesmerising tale told in two timelines where the past unfolds and ripples like a wave into the future.’ ★★★★★ 
  'This is the perfect book to read on a winter afternoon in front of the fire.’ ★★★★★ 
  'A delightful tale of love and loss and magical stories.’ ★★★★★ 
  Previously published as The Story Collector by Evie Gaughan. 
  The Story Collector by Evie Woods, a contemporary novel that has made it to the Sunday Times bestseller list, skillfully combines elements of realism and romance. The story, told in multiple timelines, is a testament to the author's ability to craft a narrative that is both intricate and captivating. 
  For fans of Ruth Jones (Never Greener), Gabrielle Zevin (Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow), Fiona Valpy (The Cypress Maze), Barbara Davis (The Wishing Tide), and Jill Mansell (The Wedding of the Year). 
  HarperCollins 2024

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  At the Fount of Creation

  Tobi Ogundiran

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  The fate of the Orisha will be decided in the concluding volume of the Guardians of the Gods duology by award-winning author Tobi Ogundiran. 
    
  For four hundred years, the world’s remaining Orisha have fought to survive the rapaciousness of the soul-stealing Godkillers and the charismatic words of the singular, mysterious figure who leads them, known as the Teacher. Now they seek to kill the one person whose existence defies their very mandate. 
    
  Ashâke carries within herself the spirits of the surviving Orisha, and she is on the hunt for allies who can help her defeat the encroaching army of Godkillers. But their influence is everywhere, and no one is immune—not even Ashâke. If she is to succeed, Ashâke will need to answer the question the Godkillers pose—are the Orisha even worth saving? 
    
  “Those who have loved the African-inspired epic stories of lies, secrets, and powerful tricksters found in the works of Moses Ose Utomi and Nnedi Okorafor will be thrilled to add Ogundiran to their lists of must-reads.”—Library Journal

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  The Story of The Inexperienced...

  H. G. Wells

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  "The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost" by H.G. Wells is a humorous and thought-provoking tale blending comedy with the supernatural. The story begins with an ordinary man recounting his encounter with a ghost who, despite being dead, retains a charmingly human lack of expertise in haunting. The ghost’s ineptitude leads to comical misunderstandings as he struggles to navigate both the afterlife and the living world. Through this whimsical narrative, Wells explores themes of mortality, identity, and the human condition. The tale cleverly juxtaposes lightheartedness with deeper reflections on life, death, and the unknown. A delightful blend of wit and existential inquiry, it showcases Wells’s ability to infuse the fantastical with profound meaning.

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  You left a void that burns and...

  Jacob Alger

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  Where shadows bleed into light, a forbidden fire is born. This is not a love story; it is a descent into the intoxicating heart of obsession, a tempest of desire that threatens to consume everything in its path. Surrender your senses to a tale of exquisite torment and primal passion.Woven from secrets and a dangerous struggle for power, their connection is a storm that defies all reason. With every whispered confession and shattering revelation, the stakes spiral into a thrilling crescendo. Can a love forged in the abyss survive the dawn, or will the darkness that bound them together ultimately tear them apart?Immerse yourself in an unforgettable audiobook that will haunt your dreams and leave its mark on your soul.

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  A Lickpenny Lover - From their...

  O Henry

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  William Sydney Porter was born on 11th September 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. At age 3 his mother died from tuberculosis. From an early age it was clear Porter had a large appetite for reading as he absorbed the world around him. 
  He first attended at a school run by his aunt before enrolling at the Lindsey Street High School and then worked at his uncle’s drugstore and gained a pharmacists’ license in 1881.  
  A persistent cough took him to Texas in the hope that a change of climate would help his symptoms. He took on various types of work, initially from ranch hand and cook and then as varied as pharmacist, draftsman, bank teller and journalist. He also began to write, though for now, purely as a hobby. 
  He was a member of several singing and dramatic groups when he met 17 year old Athol Estes, daughter of a wealthy Austin family. Despite her mother’s objection owing to Athol’s tuberculosis, they began courting and in July 1887, they eloped and soon married. 
  Athol, impressed by his writing, encouraged him to get them published. A job as a draftsman at the Texas General Land Office paid a healthy $100 dollars per month and life was good. 
  But then life turned cruel. His son died a few hours after birth although a daughter, Margaret, came the following year.  His job had to be vacated but another was found at the First National Bank of Austin. The bank operated informally and Porter was careless in keeping the books. He lost that job but began writing for the humourous weekly The Rolling Stone and the Houston Post. Some time later the federal Bank auditors went through his former accounts and he was arrested on charges of embezzlement. 
  Porter fled the day before his trial to Honduras. Holed up for several months he began to write.  Athol had become too ill to travel to meet him and learning that her health was deteriorating he surrendered to the court in February 1897.  Bail was obtained so that he could stay with Athol during her final days.  
  Porter was sentenced to five years at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus. His pharmacy qualifications got him the job of night druggist.  His sentence also gave him time to write and publish fourteen short stories. In December 1899 in McClure’s Magazine he published a short story as O Henry.  
  He was released two years early in July 1901, and reunited with Margaret, now 11, in Pittsburgh.  He now began his most prolific period of writing; a short story per week for the New York World, while also publishing works in other magazines.  Eventually over 600 of his short stories were published. 
  Porter was a heavy drinker and in 1908 his health, which had deteriorated for several years, took a dramatic turn for the worse, as did his writing.  
  O Henry died of cirrhosis of the liver complicated by diabetes and an enlarged heart on 5th June 1910.

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