Other books that might interest you

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  The Raven - (Golden Deer Classics)

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  When a modern film script draws inspiration from a poem written more than a century ago, readers can judge its impact on our collective imagination. Such is the resonance of the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe.  
  First published in 1845, "The Raven" is a masterpiece of atmosphere, rhythmic quality and use of language. Constructed in narrative form, it tells the story of a young man who is mourning the loss of his beloved. One December night as he wearily sits up browsing through a classical volume, a mysterious tapping against his window disturbs him. When he opens it to investigate, a strange and mournful raven enters his room and perches on the bust of a Greek goddess inside. The rest of the poem deals with the melancholy and mournful one-sided conversation between the two. The narrator desperately questions the Raven about Lenore, his lost love, but the Raven only gives a single dismal word "Nevermore" in reply. What happens to the narrator in the course of this conversation makes up the rest of the poem.

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  The Diamond Maker

  H. G. Wells

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  Herbert George Wells (1866 – 1946) was a prolific English writer, now best remembered for his science fiction novels. "The Diamond Maker" is the story of a self-taught chemistry enthusiast who is obsessed with developing a process for creating artificial diamonds.

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  Masha'allah - And Other Stories

  Mariah K. Young

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  This “beautifully written and soulful” story collection explores the lives and struggles of those on the fringes of California society (Mark Haskell Smith, author of Baked). 
   
  In Masha’allah and Other Stories, debut author Mariah K. Young brings readers deep into the unpredictable landscape of East Oakland, and the varied lives of remarkable individuals who rarely take center stage. In these nine tales, we take a ride with a hired driver who gets more than he bargains for with an unusual fare; we meet a day laborer whose search for work leads him to the edges of human sacrifice and hope; we join a plucky house cleaner named Chinta, who sets up impromptu beauty parlors in the houses she cleans. 
   
  Young’s fiction shines not only with literary power and warmth but with eye-opening freshness and honesty that cuts straight to the heart, reflecting our unflagging allegiances to love, family, luck, and hope.  
   
  Winner of the first James D. Houston Award

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  The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky

  Stephen Crane

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  Scratchy Wilson will have his day. When word gets around that Sheriff Jack Potter is arriving on the afternoon train with his bride, Scratchy intends to raise all kinds of hell.  
   
  Published in 1898, Crane’s story was indicative of the growing sentiment for the American West. The rather pedestrian name of Potter for a gun-slinging protagonist may seem atypical of the Western genre. However, a Mr. Robert Potter signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. Also, in 1888, Archibald Gunter’s best-selling novel Mr. Potter of Texas was widely read, who’s historically based titular character was the clichéd heart of gold, ranger, Congressman, cattleman, sheriff type of guy. So, in 1898, the name of Potter was a legendary symbol of a frontiersman who helped to pave the way of civilization in the American West.  
   
  B.J. Harrison’s authentic and textured narration brings a greater depth to this American classic.

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  The Scarlet Letter

  Nathaniel Hawthorne

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  The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, is an American novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and is generally considered to be his magnum opus. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth after committing adultery, refuses to name the father, and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. 
  Throughout the novel, Hawthorne explores questions of grace, legalism, sin and guilt.

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  The Call of the Wild

  Jack London

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  The Call of the Wild is a novel by Jack London published in 1903. The story is set in the Yukon during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush—a period in which strong sled dogs were in high demand. The novel's central character is a dog named Buck, a domesticated dog living at a ranch in the Santa Clara Valley of California as the story opens. Stolen from his home and sold into service as sled dog in Alaska, he reverts to a wild state. Buck is forced to fight in order to dominate other dogs in a harsh climate. Eventually he sheds the veneer of civilization, relying on primordial instincts and learned experience to emerge as a leader in the wild. The terrible, never relenting work of pulling sleds in sub-freezing temperatures combined with little food and rest quickly killed any dog not extremely tough. It almost kills Buck but his fierce determination to survive finally brings him through.

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