Other books that might interest you

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  The Nose - Gogol uses the absurd...

  Nikolai Gogol

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  Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was born on 1st April 1809 to a father, descended from Ukrainian Cossacks and a mother with a military background in the Ukrainian town of Sorochyntsi, then part of the Russian Empire and rich in Cossack traditions and folklore.   
   
  His father wrote poetry and plays which the young Gogol helped stage at his uncle’s home theatre.  This helped ignite in him a love of literature and blossomed when he attended, what is now, the Nizhyn Gogol State University at the age of 12.  Here he participated in school theatre productions and refined his mastery of his native Ukrainian and also the Russian of his Imperial masters. 
   
  In 1828 he went to St Petersburg and unsuccessfully tried to begin a career as an actor after finding that with no money and no connections the civil service was barred to him. 
   
  Embezzling money from his mother he embarked on a trip to Germany. When the money ran out, he returned to St Petersburg but the experiences were used in a series of stories he contributed to periodicals.  These tales were steeped in his childhood memories of the Ukrainian landscape and peasantry enlivened with the supernatural of its folklore woven with realistic events of the day.  He wrote in Russian in a whimsical, colloquial style with a smattering of Ukrainian words and phrases that provided an authenticity.  Eight stories were published as ‘Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka’.  Seemingly all at once fame and fortune arrived. Gogol was hailed by his contemporaries, including Pushkin, as a pre-eminent writer of Russian literature.   
   
  His success continued with his brilliant plays ‘The Inspector General’ and the comedy ‘The Marriage for the Theatre’, both being highly acclaimed.   
   
  In 1834 he became Professor of Medieval History at the University of St. Petersburg but with little academic or teacher training, failed to adequately fulfil many of his duties and soon resigned this post.  With no obligations and using his earnings from his writing, which now included the impressionistic and immortal ‘Dead Souls’, Gogol travelled around Europe, spending the most time in Rome where he studied art, read Italian literature and developed a passion for opera.  
   
  In the 1840s Gogol became preoccupied with a need to purify his soul and embarked on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In tandem he fell under the influence of a strict and austere spiritual ascetic who persuaded him to observe strict fasts that, allied with his depression and deteriorating health, contributed to his death on 21st April 1852 at the age of only 43. 
   
  In the Nose Gogol reaches out with the absurd premise that a Nose can have, and enjoy, a life of its own regardless of the complications and consequences to its former owner.

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  El Chapo - King of Tunnels and...

  Waleed Saleh

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  This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice.   
  Step into the extraordinary world of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, the most infamous drug lord in modern history, in this gripping audiobook that reads like a thriller but chronicles devastating reality. 
  From his impoverished beginnings in the remote mountains of Sinaloa to building a criminal empire that rivaled entire nations, El Chapo's story transcends traditional crime narratives. This meticulously researched account reveals the mastermind behind four legendary prison escapes that defied all logic and redefined the limits of human ingenuity. 
  Discover the engineering marvels of his underground tunnel networks – sophisticated passages featuring ventilation systems, lighting, railways, and communication networks that revolutionized drug smuggling forever. Witness how one man manipulated corruption within the most secure institutions, turning Mexico's strongest prisons into his personal playgrounds. 
  Through vivid storytelling, explore the psychological complexity of a man who was simultaneously a folk hero to some and a monster to others. Learn how El Chapo transformed the Sinaloa Cartel from a regional gang into a multinational corporation with global reach, generating billions in revenue while leaving destruction in his wake. 
  This audiobook unveils the cat-and-mouse game between El Chapo and two superpowers, revealing advanced surveillance technologies, international cooperation, and the ultimate limits of power when confronting justice. From the legendary Puente Grande escape using a laundry cart to the impossible Altiplano tunnel operation that shocked the world, every detail is chronicled with precision and authenticity. 
  Perfect for true crime enthusiasts, this compelling narrative examines themes of power, corruption, loyalty, and the price of ambition. Experience the rise and inevitable fall of history's most creative escape artist, whose story continues to fascinate and terrify audiences worldwide.

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  Thomas Chalmers - Evangelical Hero

  Joel R. Beeke, Douglas Bond

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  What do George Whitefield, Elisabeth Elliot, and J. Gresham Machen have in common? They were all Evangelical Heroes. In the Evangelical Heroes series, Joel Beeke and Douglas Bond present thirty biographical sketches of faithful evangelical leaders from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. From George Whitfield to Charles Spurgeon to R.C. Sproul, these men and women held firm to the authority of Scripture and the reality of Christ's death and resurrection in the face of rising liberalism in the Church. These inspiring volumes introduce us to faithful Christians from the past and encourage us to stand firm today!

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  Leading Australian Icons in...

  Jene Roswell

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  Are you interested in knowing all the details on how the most influential Australian musicians have shaped the music industry? 
  Perhaps you are a ‘music buff’ and want more of the inside story on the top Australian musicians? 
  Or, maybe you want to know more about what makes the top 20 Australian musical legends aspire to international stardom and what motivates them to continue to rise above and beyond? 
  Maybe you’re an expert on Australian musicians and still want to know more about their personal lives… 
  Leading Australian Icons in Music teaches everything you could want to know about the top 20 Australian legends that have influenced the music industry since the 1970s. 
  This book covers several different genres of Australian music that have made the most significant impact on the music scene in the past 50 years. 
  The profiles of these talented individuals are explored in greater detail than other books, focusing not only on their sales but also their upbringing and personal experiences. 
  You’ll find that a lot of these musicians have similar values and morals, and these values are what helped them become the musical influences that they are today. 
  If you’re an Australian music fan or historian, or a musician yourself, this book is a fantastic place to learn about each of these legends in great detail. 
  Inside Leading Australian Icons in Music, discover more on AC/DC, INXS, Keith Urban, Molly Meldrum and, much more! 
  Grab a copy of Leading Australian Icons in Music today and take your Australian music knowledge to the next level!

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  A Man with Two Lives - From...

  Ambrose Bierce

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  Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language.  
  Growing up in Koscuisko County, Indiana poverty and religion were defining features of his childhood, and he would later describe his parents as “unwashed savages” and fanatically religious, showing him little affection but always quick to punish. He came to resent religion, and his introduction to literature appears to be their only positive effect. 
  At age 15 Bierce left home to become a printer’s devil, mixing ink and fetching type at The Northern Indian, a small Ohio paper. Falsely accused of theft he returned to his farm and spent time sending out work in the hopes of being published. 
  His Uncle Lucius advised he be sent to the Kentucky Military Institute. A year later he was commissioned as an Officer.  As the Civil War started Bierce enlisted in the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment.  
  In April 1862 Bierce fought at the Battle of Shiloh, an experience which, though terrifying, became the source of several short stories. Two years later he sustained a serious head wound and was off duty for several months. He was discharged in early 1865.  
  A later expedition to inspect military outposts across the Great Plains took him all the way to San Francisco. He remained there to become involved with publishing and editing and to marry, Mary Ellen on Christmas Day 1871.  They had a child, Day, the following year.  
  In 1872 the family moved to England for 3 years where he wrote for Fun magazine. His son, Leigh, was born, and first book, ‘The Fiend’s Delight’, was published.  
  They returned to San Francisco and to work for a number of papers where he gained admiration for his crime reporting. In 1887 he began a column at the William Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner.  
  Bierce’s marriage fell apart when he discovered compromising letters to his wife from a secret admirer. The following year, 1889 his son Day committed suicide, depressed by romantic rejection. 
  In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’.  Success and further works including poetry followed.  
  Bierce with Hearst’s resources helped uncover a financial plot by a railroad to turn 130 million dollars of loans into a handout. Confronted by the railroad and asked to name his price Bierce answered “my price is $130 million dollars. If, when you are ready to pay, I happen to be out of town, you may hand it over to my friend, the Treasurer of the United States”.  
  He now began his first foray as a fabulist, publishing ‘Fantastic Fables’ in 1899.  But tragedy again struck two years later when his second son Leigh died of pneumonia relating to his alcoholism.  
  He continued to write short stories and poetry and also published ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’.  
  At the age of 71, in 1913 Bierce departed from Washington, D.C., for a tour of the battlefields where he had fought during the civil war. At the city of Chihuahua he wrote his last known communication, a letter to a friend. It’s closing words were “as to me, I leave here tomorrow for an unknown destination,” Ambrose Bierce then vanished without trace.

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  Crawling Out of Hell - A Raw...

  Roman Kartashevsky

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  This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice.   
  A Raw Story and Real Advice to Change Your Life 
  What if your life began in a place where violence was normal, alcohol was survival, and every friendship could end in a fight? 
  This is the brutally honest memoir of a young man from Eastern Europe who grew up surrounded by chaos — and refused to stay in it. 
  Fistfights in the streets. Addiction to computer games. Betrayal in love. Cold nights without food or heating. 
  Every chapter is a punch to the gut — and a lesson in survival. 
  But this story isn't just about pain. 
  It's about the power of change. 
  About escaping the darkness and building a new life — through discipline, education, and belief in yourself. 
  🔥 Inside this book: 
  ✅ A true coming-of-age story filled with raw experiences, 
  ✅ Powerful lessons on overcoming poverty, addiction, and broken relationships, 
  ✅ Real-life motivation for teens, young men, and immigrants trying to rebuild, 
  ✅ No excuses. No sugar-coating. Just the truth. 
  You will follow Roman Kartashevsky's journey: 
  – from forgotten villages to brutal jobs, 
  – from street fights to the kickboxing ring, 
  – from part-time studies in Belarus to earning a master's degree in Poland. 
  He didn't have perfect parents, money, or luck. 
  But he had something else: the will to fight for a better future. 
  👊 This book is for: 
  Boys and men growing up without role models 
  Teens trapped in toxic environments 
  Immigrants trying to start again 
  Anyone who needs a wake-up call to fight for their life 
  Readers of gritty, motivational memoirs like Can't Hurt Me, The Way of the Fight, or Man's Search for Meaning 
  You don't need money, privilege, or a lucky break. 
  You need courage. 
  And someone to tell you: 
  👉 I crawled out of hell. Now it's your turn!

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