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  A Nocturne - From their pens to...

  Clothilde Graves

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  Clotilde Augusta Inez Mary Graves was born on the 3rd June 1863 at Buttevant Castle, Co. Cork, to parents with military backgrounds. 
  At age nine, the family moved to Southsea in England for yet another military posting.  Her father’s postings gave her valuable experiences that would be put to good use in later years in some of her literary works. 
  She was educated at a Catholic convent in Lourdes before returning to London in 1884 to study art in Bloomsbury.  She worked part-time at the British Museum and the Royal Female School of Art and generated further income by drawing little pen-and-ink grotesques for the comic papers.  
  A few years later a chance meeting found her writing extra lyrics for a pantomime version of Puss in Boots.  She followed up with several financially successful plays, both in London and New York, and gained a measure of notoriety in one with the comparison of marriage and prostitution.   
  Despite her dramatic success she published her first novel in 1911 under the pseudonym of Richard Dehan which she continued to use for later works.  As well as novels and plays she published collections of short stories which glow with talent and invention. 
  She was an unusual figure in London society, wearing her hair short, taking on a masculine manner and cut of clothing, and smoking cigarettes in public when such traits were considered eccentric at best.  Add to this her admired collection of Chinese and Japanese trophies, her enthusiasm for fly-fishing and her riding of a tricycle and you have a perfect image of this fascinating writer. 
  Clotilde Graves died at the convent of Our Lady of Lourdes at Hatch End in Middlesex, on the 3rd December 1932.  She was 69.

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  A Middle-Sized Artist - From...

  Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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  Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born on 3rd July 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut, to an unaffectionate mother and a father who abandoned her and her older brother to a life of poverty. 
  Inevitably her schooling was limited and by 15 she had attended seven different schools but received only four years education.  However Charlotte was resourceful and did spend time with her father’s aunts – the suffragist Isabella Beecher Hooker and the ‘Uncle Tom Cabin’s’ author, Harriet Beecher Stowe as well as many hours at the public library studying ancient civilisations. 
  In 1878, she enrolled in classes at the Rhode Island School of Design where she met Martha Luther and they developed a close relationship until Luther married in 1881. Charlotte was devastated and detested romance and love until she met and married the artist Charles Walter Stetson.  
  Their only child, Katharine Beecher Stetson, was born in 1885 but left Charlotte with post-natal depression, then often dismissed as a case of hysteria or nerves.  Unsuited to domestic life she ruptured her life and moved to California with Katherine.  She divorced in 1894 and then sent Katharine east to live with her father and his second wife confirming that his paternal rights be acknowledged and that Katherine establish a relationship with her father. 
  After her mother died in 1893, Charlotte moved back east and became involved with her first cousin, Wall Street attorney, Houghton Gilman who she married in 1900. After his death she moved back to California, where Katherine now lived.   
  Her most popular story is ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ which touched on her own post-partum depression and underlined the need for women to be responsible for their mental and physical well-being, as the narrator is ordered by her husband/doctor to take compete rest in her room where she is isolated and becomes obsessed with the revolting yellow wallpaper.   
  She wrote other notable short stories the best of which we also include.   
  Charlotte lectured widely for social reform, wrote important non-fiction works that questioned our patriarchal system and left a legacy as a leading and positive spokesperson for feminism.  
  She was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer in 1932 and, as she wrote in her suicide note and autobiography, she ‘chose chloroform over cancer’    
  Charlotte Perkins Gilman took her own life on 17th August 1935, aged 75, in Pasadena, California.

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  A Short History of Indians in...

  Thomas King

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  Winner of the McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year and the Aboriginal Fiction Book of the Year—a collection of twenty short stories told in Thomas King's classic, wry, irreverent, and allegorical voice.

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  The Kiss

  Kate Chopin

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  Kate Chopin's "The Kiss" was written on September 19, 1894, and first published in Vogue on January 17, 1895. It is a short story about a woman scheming to marry a wealthy man.

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  I WISH I KNEW THAT BEFORE -...

  Darshana

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  Rajiv has everything that a person of his age could ever dream of. However, the arrival of a special someone has completely changed his life. The question arises: Is this special someone truly good for him? 
  When Anaya chooses a different path in life, she faces a struggle for which she was not prepared. While attempting to lead a normal life, the unexpected arrival of an old friend has created a storm in her life. Will she be able to overcome it, or could she find herself entirely lost in its turbulence? 
  Shraddha was experiencing heartbreak and a significant loss in her life. She was striving to overcome and fight it. However, one phone call and one decision changed everything. Will she be able to cope with all that she is going through? What is in her destiny after all? 
  Embark on an exciting journey through this collection of short stories where characters encounter unexpected challenges. As you read, secrets will be revealed, destinies will change, and lives will take unexpected turns. Get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions and mysteries that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Join Anaya and others as they navigate the ups and downs of life, discovering valuable lessons along the way.

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  A Stroke of the Pen - The Lost...

  Terry Pratchett

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  A delightfully funny, fantastically inventive collection of twenty newly unearthed short stories by Sir Terry Pratchett, the award-winning and bestselling author of the phenomenally successful Discworld fantasy series. This special trove is a must-have for Pratchett fans of all ages. The audiobook is narrated by a stunning cast that includes David Tennant, Claire Foy, Paterson Joseph, Indira Varma, and more! 
  These rediscovered tales were written by Terry Pratchett under a pseudonym for British newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s. The stories have never been attributed to him until now, and might never have been found—were it not for the efforts of a few dedicated fans.  
  Though none of the short works are set in the Discworld, all are infused with Pratchett's trademark wit, satirical wisdom, and brilliant imagination, hinting at the magical universe he would go on to create. 
  Meet Og the inventor, the first caveman to cultivate fire, as he discovers the highs and lows of progress; haunt the Ministry of Nuisances with the defiant evicted ghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and embark on a dangerous quest through time and space with hero Kron, which begins in the ancient city of Morpork. 
  Irresistibly entertaining, A Stroke of the Pen is an essential collection from the great Terry Pratchett, a “master storyteller” (A. S. Byatt) who “defies categorization” (The Times). 
  The full cast of narrators includes:David TennantClaire FoyPaterson JosephStephen BriggsNigel PlanerTony RobinsonKatherine ParkinsonIndira VarmaJohn CulshawMathew BayntonRichard CoyleDerek JacobiDavid JasonSteffan RhodriMaggie ServiceHallie MorahanJason WatkinsRhianna PratchettRob WilkinsColin SmytheNeil Gaiman

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