Other books that might interest you

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  Casting the Runes - From their...

  M R James

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  Montague Rhodes James is cited as perhaps the greatest English writer of ghost stories, an opinion few would disagree with. 
  James was born on 1st August 1862 at Goodnestone Parsonage in Kent, where his father was Curate but at age 3 the family went to live at Livermere, near Bury St Edmunds in East Anglia.  
  From early childhood he had a passion for mediaeval books and antiques. He was educated initially as a boarder at Temple Grove School in East Sheen, west London, before gaining a scholarship to Eton and thence Cambridge where he gained a double first, becoming a distinguished linguist and mediaevalist.  
  Before the Great War vacations were usually spent touring Europe absorbing cultures and references for his later writing. 
  A man of enormous knowledge it was said he timed his breakfast egg whilst he completed the Times crossword.  
  Many of his elegant yet terrifying tales were created by discarding the prevailing gothic cliches and placing his characters and narrative in a realistic setting.  Thereby the stories gained atmosphere and menace on a grand scale and he was famed as the originator of the antiquarian ghost story. 
  Although story-telling and writing these 30 or so tales was a hobby, when published their effect transformed the genre and still chill the bones in our more modern times. 
  James was also a medievalist scholar and translator whose work remains highly respected. He was also Provost of Eton College between 1918 and 1936. 
  M R James died on 12th June 1936 at Eton in Buckinghamshire.  He was 73.

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  Captain Rogers - From their pens...

  W Jacobs

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  William Wymark Jacobs was born on 8th September 1863 in Wapping, East London.  
  He was educated at a private school and then Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, now part of the University of London. 
  In 1879, Jacobs began work as a clerk in the civil service, in the Post Office Savings Bank.  In 1885 his first short story was published but it was not until almost the turn of the century that he would abandon his post office career to that as a full-time writer. By then he was a very popular author, his collections selling extremely well and with an excellent income. 
  His best-known work is the macabre ‘The Monkey's Paw’ and he is also highly regarded for his ghost stories although much of his remaining short story output is streaked with humour.  His characters are immediately identifiable and we all know that life will take chunks out of them in no time at all.  
  Jacobs married the noted suffragette Agnes Eleanor Williams in 1900 at West Ham, Essex. They went on to have two daughters and three sons as they settled down to life.  
  By the outbreak of the First World War his literary output had declined and he now mainly spent his time rewriting his earlier stories for the stage.  In all he wrote 18 plays. 
  W W Jacobs died on 1st September 1943 at Hornsey Lane, Islington in London. He was 79.

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  3 Science Fiction Stories

  Frank Herbert

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  As the title indicates, here are three science fiction stories by Frank Herbert: Missing Link, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction, 1959; Operation Haystack, also published in Astounding Science Fiction 1959; and Old Rambling House, published in Galaxy Science Fiction 1958.

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  Vegas Baby

  Kameron Claire

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  He’s a widower attending a medical conference. She’s a recent divorcee hoping to get her groove back. He’s noticed her before, but this time is different, with an empty ring finger to prove it. Can he convince her they’re meant for more than a week long love affair? 
  Jack: I’ve attended this medical office convention before, but this is the first time I’m feeling bold. But I didn’t expect the shy woman I’ve been checking out for the last couple of years to not only be available, but interested in a Vegas fling. Only one week will never be enough for me, but how do I convince her to want more? 
  Diane: First time I’m attending this convention this single, and my girlfriend has filled my head with stories about “what happens in Vegas” touting it's time for Diane to get her groove back. She’s right, and when I meet Jack, I’m sure he’s the one I want to have this sexual reawakening with—only nothing about him feels temporary. Can he fall for a woman who propositions him for a no-strings-attached weekend? 
  Each book in the series is a complete, standalone story. This is a steamy, short story romance, complete with instalove and a guaranteed happily ever-after. If you're looking for a great lunchtime read, or something to spark sexy dreams before bed, you’ll want to pick this one up. 
  Vegas Nights Series: Vegas Bachelorette, Vegas Bride, Vegas Baby, and Vegas Vixen

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  Scablands and Other Stories

  Jonathan Taylor

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  Winner of the 2025 Arnold Bennett Book Prize
  These are tales from the post-industrial scablands – stories of austerity, poverty, masochism and migration. The people here are sick, lonely, lost, half-living in the aftermath of upheaval or trauma. A teacher obsessively canes himself. A neurologist forgets where home is. A starving woman sells hugs in an abandoned kiosk.
  Yet sometimes, even in the twilit scablands, there's also beauty, music, laughter. Sometimes a town square is filled with bubbles. Sometimes sisters dream they can fly. Sometimes an old man plays Bach to an empty street, two ailing actors see animal shapes in clouds, a cancer survivor searches for a winning lottery ticket in her rundown flat. And sometimes Gustav Mahler lives just round the corner, hoarding rare records in a Stoke terrace.

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  Twilight Zone - Anthology

  Harlan Ellison, Whitley...

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  An original anthology celebrating Rod Serling's landmark television series featuring stories by Whitley Strieber, R. L. Stine, Laura Lippman, and others.When it first aired in 1959, The Twilight Zone was nothing less than groundbreaking television. Freed from much of the censors' strict oversight because of the show's classification as “science fiction,” the 156 filmed episodes explored powerful and moving human themes—love, hate, pride, jealousy, terror—in their own unique style. The show has since inspired two revivals, as well as fiction, comic books, and magazines, and even a pinball game and theme park rides. Just as important, it sparked the imaginations of countless writers, filmmakers, and fans around the world, and is considered a seminal show for broadening the horizons of television.This anthology is an all-new collection of stories written in the vein of the original television show. Edited and introduced by Carol Serling, it includes brand-new stories by science fiction and fantasy luminaries such as Whitley Strieber, Loren D. Estleman, Joe Lansdale, R. L. Stine, Timothy Zahn, and Peter S. Beagle, as well as writers from the original series, Earl Hamner and Harlan Ellison, all in honor of Rod's incredible vision.

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