Other books that might interest you

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  The Partition

  Don Lee

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  Twenty-one years after the publication of his landmark debut collection Yellow, Don Lee returns to the short story form for his sixth book, The Partition.  
   
  The Partition is an updated exploration of Asian American identity, this time with characters who are presumptive model minorities in the arts, academia, and media. Spanning decades, these nine novelistic stories traverse an array of cities, from Tokyo to Boston, Honolulu to El Paso, touching  
  upon transient encounters in local bars, restaurants, and hotels.  
   
  Culminating in a three-story cycle about a Hollywood actor, The Partition incisively examines heartbreak, identity, family, and relationships—the characters searching for answers to universal questions: Where do I belong? How can I find love? What defines an authentic self?

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  Two Tales From Anton Chekhov

  Anton Chekhov

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  Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (January 29, 1860 - July 15, 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who, though a doctor by profession, is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high-esteem by writers and critics. The following recording includes the short stories, "The Trousseau" and "Champagne (A Wayfarer's Story)."

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  Hadji Murat

  Leo Tolstoy

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  In 1851 Leo Tolstoy enlisted in the Russian army and was sent to the Caucasus to help defeat the Chechens. During this war a great Avar chieftain, Hadji Murád, broke with the Chechen leader Shamil and fled to the Russians for safety. Months later, while attempting to rescue his family from Shamil's prison, Hadji Murád was pursued by those he had betrayed and, after fighting the most heroic battle of his life, was killed.
  
  Tolstoy, witness to many of the events leading to Hadji Murád's death, set down this story with painstaking accuracy to preserve for future generations the horror, nobility, and destruction inherent in war.

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  At Christmas Time - From their...

  Anton Chekhov

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  Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born on 29th January 1860 in Taganrog, on the south coast of Russia.  
  His family life was difficult; his father was strict and over-bearing but his mother was a passionate story-teller, a subject Chekhov warmed to. As he later said; ‘our talents we got from our father, but our soul from our mother’.  
  At school Chekhov was distinctly average. At 16 his father mis-managed his finances and was declared bankrupt. His family fled to Moscow. Chekhov remained and eked out a living by various means, including writing and selling short sketches to newspapers, to finish his schooling. That completed and with a scholarship to Moscow University obtained he rejoined his family. 
  He was able to help support them by selling satirical sketches and vignettes of Russian lifestyles and gradually obtained further commissions. In 1884, he qualified as a physician and, although it earned him little, he often treated the poor for free, he was fond of saying ‘Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.’ 
  His own health was now an issue as he began to cough up blood, a symptom of tuberculosis.  Despite this his writing success enabled him to move the family into more comfortable accommodation.  
  Chekhov wrote over 500 short stories which included many, many classics including ‘The Kiss’ and ‘The Lady with a Dog’.  His collection ‘At Dusk’ won him the coveted Pushkin Prize when was only 26.  
  He was also a major playwright beginning with the huge success of ‘Ivanov’ in 1887.   
  In 1892 Chekhov bought a country estate north of Moscow. Here his medical skills and money helped the peasants tackle outbreaks of cholera and bouts of famine. He also built three schools, a fire station and a clinic.  It left him with less time for writing but the interactions with real people gained him detailed knowledge about the peasantry and their living conditions for his stories.  
  His most famous work, ‘The Seagull’ was received disastrously at its premiere in St Petersburg. It was later restaged in Moscow to highlight its psychological aspects and was a huge success. It led to ‘Uncle Vanya’, ‘The Three Sisters’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard’.  
  Chekhov suffered a major lung hemorrhage in 1897 while visiting Moscow. A formal diagnosis confirmed tuberculosis and the doctors ordered changes to his lifestyle.  
  Despite a dread of weddings the elusive literary bachelor quietly married the actress Olga Knipper, whom he had met at rehearsals for ‘The Seagull’, on 25th May 1901. 
  By May 1904 with his tuberculosis worsening and death imminent he set off for the German town of Badenweiler writing cheerful, witty letters to his family and assuring them his health was improving.  
  On 15th July 1904 Anton Chekhov died at Badenweiler.  He was 44.

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  The Gift of the Magi

  O. Henry

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  The Gift of the Magi is a timeless holiday story that captures the true spirit of giving and love. Written by O. Henry, this heartwarming tale follows a young couple, Jim and Della, who sacrifice their most treasured possessions to buy each other the perfect Christmas gift. Little do they know, their acts of selflessness create a beautiful and ironic twist that embodies the power of love and generosity. 
  Narrated by Christopher Mireider, this audiobook brings to life the tenderness and simplicity of one of the most beloved Christmas stories ever written. 
  Perfect for fans of classic literature, holiday tales, and stories of love and sacrifice, The Gift of the Magi is a moving reminder that the greatest gift is the love we share with one another.

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  Seize the Fire

  Laura Kinsale

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  A scoundrel is transformed by the love of an innocent princess in this historical romance by the New York Times–bestselling author of Flowers from the Storm.    Summoned to rule the tiny nation of Oriens, Princess Olympia St. Leger appoints the most celebrated man in England to escort her: recently retired war hero Capt. Sheridan Drake. Easily frightened, she is vastly relieved to have Captain Drake’s help—until she discovers he’s a scoundrel without a drop of honor in his body. In fact, nothing would make her happier than to forget him. Except she cannot seem to get his deep, stirring gaze out of her head . . .   Sheridan has no patience for hero worshipers; war is a game of survival, not gallant deeds. But Olympia, who comes to him with plump cheeks and eyes full of expectation, has money, something of which he is in great need. And though Olympia is impossibly naive, for reasons he can’t fathom, she touches him in some obscure, half-forgotten place, until the thought of losing her becomes even more impossible.   Set in Georgian England, Seize the Fire is another exciting tale from the author of For My Lady’s Heart, whose work has been praised by Julia Quinn as “unfailingly brilliant and beautiful.”  

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