Other books that might interest you

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  The House with the Mezzanine And...

  Anton Chekhov

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  Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov was a physician by profession. "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress." 
   
  Chekhov renounced the theatre after the reception of The Seagull in 1896, but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and premiered his last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four works present a challenge to the acting ensemble as well as to audiences because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a "theatre of mood" and a "submerged life in the text". The plays that Chekhov wrote were not complex, but easy to follow, and created a somewhat haunting atmosphere for the audience. 
   
  Chekhov at first wrote stories to earn money, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations that influenced the evolution of the modern short story. He made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them. 
   
  Here is perhaps his finest collection. A true audiobook treasure!

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  Fall is in the Air

  Kimberly Thomas

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  Twenty-three years and counting . . . that's how long Kerry has been holding on to a secret that changed her life forever. Now, after a seventeen-year marriage, two grown daughters, and toeing the line, it's time to do things differently, on her own terms, even if that means disappointing her father . . . again. 
   
   
   
  Opening her bakery in her coastal hometown of Oak Harbor is a testament of how far she's come from the woman who made circumstances and expectations dictate her every decision. At forty-one, she's proven that her dreams that were pushed aside and forgotten about can still happen. 
   
   
   
  When a newcomer threatens her newfound independence, Kerry is ready to fight thick or thin to remain in control. But she'll also have to face a difficult decision when this newcomer not only tries to demolish her business, but has a secret that if revealed, will wield the power to devastate innocent lives and challenge relationships. 
   
   
   
  Still . . . 
   
   
   
  It could very well be the right time to let go of it all. Now could prove the right time to count on the love and support of her sister and cousins. 
   
   
   
  Will Kerry be able to navigate the paths to forgiveness, hope, and love?

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  Loot of the Shanung

  L. Ron Hubbard

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  A one hundred grand reward for the return of billionaire George Rockham is more than enough to turn Shanghai newspaperman Jimmy Vance's head. Throw in the gorgeous dame who's offering the reward — Rockham's daughter Virginia — and he might lose his head altogether. Fast-talking Vance jumps at the chance to get what could be the biggest story of his life... if he lives to tell it. A missing billionaire. A beautiful woman. A hot story. Hear all about it — as the audio version of Loot of the Shanung puts a newspaperman up against a brutal deadline.

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  The Million Pound Note - This...

  Mark Twain

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  Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri on the 30th November 1835 and is far better known by his pen name of Mark Twain.  An American writer and humorist of the first order he is perhaps best known for his novels ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and its sequel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ which are often described with that mythic line The Great American Novel. 
   
  Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri which would later provide the backdrop to these great novels.  Apprenticed to a printer he also became a typesetter and then a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi.  Later, heading west with his brother Orion to make his fortune, he failed at gold mining and instead turned to journalism and thence his true calling as a writer of humorous stories where his wit and humor sparkled from every paragraph, his craft evident with every page and punctured target. 
   
  A staunch supporter of copyright protections this helped him keep much of the wealth his writing created, though much money was also lost on investments that he pursued in his love for science and technology as well as investing in his own inventions. 
    
  Twain was born during a visit by Halley’s comet, and he predicted that he would go out with it as well.  He died the day after its subsequent return on 21st April 1910, at his house, Stormfield, located in Redding, Connecticut.   
   
  In this story Twain proposed that coming into possession of a million pound note should solve all of life’s problems, both big and small.  And he’s right.  For a time it does.  But…. Yes, with Twain, there is always a but.

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  Glowing Valley - Dreamy Bedtime...

  Peter Heuvelman

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  Step into the Glowing Valley, where the night glows softly, the air hums with stillness, and time slows to a peaceful rhythm. This gentle, immersive sleep story is crafted to help you unwind, let go of the day’s worries, and drift effortlessly into rest. 
  As you walk through the valley, you’ll experience lush glowing landscapes, winding streams that shimmer under an endless night sky, and towering stone formations shaped by time. Every detail is designed to lull your mind into relaxation, guiding you toward a quiet and restful sleep. 
  Glowing Valley is part of the Dreamy Bedtime Stories series, ideal for those looking for gentle storytelling, relaxation, and a peaceful night’s sleep. 
  Let go of the day, settle in, and let the valley guide you into deep, restful sleep…

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  Gooseberries - From their pens...

  Anton Chekhov

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  Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born on 29th January 1860 in Taganrog, on the south coast of Russia.  
  His family life was difficult; his father was strict and over-bearing but his mother was a passionate story-teller, a subject Chekhov warmed to. As he later said; ‘our talents we got from our father, but our soul from our mother’.  
  At school Chekhov was distinctly average. At 16 his father mis-managed his finances and was declared bankrupt. His family fled to Moscow. Chekhov remained and eked out a living by various means, including writing and selling short sketches to newspapers, to finish his schooling. That completed and with a scholarship to Moscow University obtained he rejoined his family. 
  He was able to help support them by selling satirical sketches and vignettes of Russian lifestyles and gradually obtained further commissions. In 1884, he qualified as a physician and, although it earned him little, he often treated the poor for free, he was fond of saying ‘Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.’ 
  His own health was now an issue as he began to cough up blood, a symptom of tuberculosis.  Despite this his writing success enabled him to move the family into more comfortable accommodation.  
  Chekhov wrote over 500 short stories which included many, many classics including ‘The Kiss’ and ‘The Lady with a Dog’.  His collection ‘At Dusk’ won him the coveted Pushkin Prize when was only 26.  
  He was also a major playwright beginning with the huge success of ‘Ivanov’ in 1887.   
  In 1892 Chekhov bought a country estate north of Moscow. Here his medical skills and money helped the peasants tackle outbreaks of cholera and bouts of famine. He also built three schools, a fire station and a clinic.  It left him with less time for writing but the interactions with real people gained him detailed knowledge about the peasantry and their living conditions for his stories.  
  His most famous work, ‘The Seagull’ was received disastrously at its premiere in St Petersburg. It was later restaged in Moscow to highlight its psychological aspects and was a huge success. It led to ‘Uncle Vanya’, ‘The Three Sisters’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard’.  
  Chekhov suffered a major lung hemorrhage in 1897 while visiting Moscow. A formal diagnosis confirmed tuberculosis and the doctors ordered changes to his lifestyle.  
  Despite a dread of weddings the elusive literary bachelor quietly married the actress Olga Knipper, whom he had met at rehearsals for ‘The Seagull’, on 25th May 1901. 
  By May 1904 with his tuberculosis worsening and death imminent he set off for the German town of Badenweiler writing cheerful, witty letters to his family and assuring them his health was improving.  
  On 15th July 1904 Anton Chekhov died at Badenweiler.  He was 44.

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