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  A Responsibility - From their...

  Henry Harland

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  The bookshelves of American literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure.  Among them is Henry Harland.

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  In the Steppe - From their pens...

  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.

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  Stranger

  Scott Beggs, Phil Cummins,...

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  Between doppelgängers and shape-shifters, magical healers and clever tricksters, you should trust no one – including yourself! 
  In this collection, 15 writers try to find answers to how we can truly know each other; on the way, they find psychedelic worms, supernatural roommates, new dimensions and the deeply rooted question of how to know even ourselves.

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  Doctors As The Protagonists –...

  Robert Louis Stevenson, Honoré...

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  The Hippocratic oath is sacred.  Until it’s not.  Human foibles and frailties can quickly grow and make the Doctor into a romantic hero, or a despised villain, or hopeless professional in the face of what is around him. 
   
  In this volume our protagonists are the people we look to for help and certainty when we are in distress and pain.  Our authors place these characters in stories that are as relevant to our thoughts today as when they were first published.       
   
  1 - Stories with The Doctor as Protaganist - An Introduction 
  2 - The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde - Part 1 by Robert Louis Stevenson 
  3 - The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde - Part 2  by Robert Louis Stevenson 
  4 - La Grande Breteche by Honore de Balzac 
  5 - A Country Doctor by Franz Kafka 
  6 - Doctor Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne 
  7 - The District Doctor by Ivan Turgenev 
  8 - The Arm of Mrs Egan by W F Harvey 
  9 - Morphine by Mikhail Bulgakov 
  10 - Green Tea - Part 1 by Sheridan Le Fanu 
  11 - Green Tea - Part 2 by Sheridan Le Fanu 
  12 - The Atheist's Mass by Honore de Balzac

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  Hayrettin

  Gökhan Tosun

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  Hayrettin is a storybook centered on the silent yet profound inner world of a young man with intellectual disability, who is introverted and lonely. It traces the marks of social exclusion and emotional invisibility. Born in a village and raised on the margins of society, the protagonist is neither fully loved nor entirely rejected; he builds his existence within his own silence. 
  The book consists of nine chapters. Each chapter represents a stop on Hayrettin’s inner journey. The early chapters portray his daily life in the village, his relationships with family, and the disconnected ties he struggles to form with society. In these parts, social loneliness becomes visible through childhood memories, holidays, school years, and the incomplete relationships the people around him have with him. 
  Around the middle of the book, with the arrival of an uncle from Germany, a “different possibility” emerges for the first time in Hayrettin’s life. He goes to Germany with his uncle. However, this departure is not a rescue but the beginning of a new form of loneliness. In this new world where he does not know the language, does not understand the rules, and where no one recognizes him, Hayrettin becomes invisible. His silence deepens, and even the inner dialogue he maintained through his notebook gradually ceases. 
  In the final chapters, Hayrettin’s silence turns into a decision, and he slowly withdraws from life. The phrase “ben gitttim” (“I have gone”) becomes the only trace he leaves behind. In the conclusion, the story returns to the village: although Hayrettin’s name is no longer known, the shadow of the stone where he used to sit remains. 
  Hayrettin avoids building a dramatic narrative. It creates an atmosphere through silence, muteness, and being overlooked. This text tells the story not of great events but of small diminishments and untold emotions.

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  52 HAPPY WEEKS - Change Your...

  David Covey Allen

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  52 Happy Weeks is a practical and inspiring audiobook designed to guide listeners through a full year of emotional growth, mindset transformation, and personal well-being. 
  Structured over 52 weeks, this audiobook offers simple reflections, actionable insights, and motivational guidance to help you change the way you think, improve your relationships, overcome negativity, reduce stress, and better manage your emotions. Each week focuses on a specific theme, making personal development approachable, realistic, and sustainable. 
  Perfect for anyone seeking balance, clarity, and emotional resilience, this audiobook encourages consistent self-reflection and small daily changes that lead to long-term personal improvement. Whether you are starting your self-growth journey or looking for ongoing motivation, 52 Happy Weeks provides a supportive and practical roadmap toward a calmer and more positive life.

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