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  Meditations

  Marcus Aurelius

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  Written in Greek, without any intention of publication, by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe.  
  Ranging from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the nature of moral virtue, human rationality, divine providence, and Marcus' own emotions.  
  But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, in developing his beliefs Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection of extended meditations and short aphorisms that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and readers through the centuries.

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  Second Best

  D H Lawrence

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  'Second Best' was written by D H Lawrence in 1912. In this delicate story of boy-girl love, Lawrence is at his best, intertwining the feelings of the two lovers with the natural world around them, the countryside, flowers and fields and the moles who are sacrificed to bring the lovers together. The young girl may consider her lover 'second best' but his passion and honesty ring true.

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  Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Short...

  Nathaniel Hawthorne

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  Nathaniel Hawthorne – An Introduction. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts.  His father, a sea captain died when Nathaniel was 4 and Nathaniel always a shy child spent his early years with his Mother and two sisters.  Hit on the leg by a ball, doctors could finds nothing wrong but he went lame and was bedridden for a year. He entered Bowdoin College in 1821, and graduated in 1825. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, the novel ‘Fanshawe’, in 1828. He continued to publish in various periodicals which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. The next year, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody eventually marrying her in 1842. His defining work ‘The Scarlet Letter’ was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. The majority of his works centre on New England and have a Puritan inspiration and outlook with their inherent evil and sin of humanity.  A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.  This volume centres on his short stories which are beautifully crafted pieces layered with characters ill at ease with their path through life.   They are read for you by Vincent Marzello.

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  The Shadow-Line

  Joseph Conrad

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  Written in 1915, The Shadow-Line is based upon events and experiences from twenty-seven years earlier to which Conrad returned obsessively in his fiction. A young sea captain's first command brings with it a succession of crises: his sea is becalmed, the crew laid low by fever, and his deranged first mate is convinced that the ship is haunted by the malignant spirit of a previous captain.This is indeed a work full of "sudden passions," in which Conrad is able to show how the full intensity of existence can be experienced by the man who, in the words of the older Captain Giles, is prepared to "stand up to his bad luck, to his mistakes, to his conscience." A subtle and penetrating analysis of the nature of manhood, The Shadow-Line investigates varieties of masculinity and desire in a subtext that counters the tale's seemingly conventional surface.

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  Redburn: His First Voyage

  Herman Melville

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  Melville wrote of some of his earliest experiences at sea in the story of Wellingborough Redburn, a wet-behind-the-ears youngster whose head was filled with dreams of foreign travel and adventure. In Redburn, the protagonist enlists for a stint as a seaman aboard Highlander, a merchant ship running between New York and London. As with many of Melville's works, this one is as much about class and race as it is about the sea.

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  New England Stories

  Sarah Orne Jewett

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  In this collection of four short stories, nineteenth-century writer Sarah Orne Jewett explores the theme of female friendship. Tana Hicken brings authenticity to the New England towns in which each story is set. The skillful reading and vivid descriptions conjure images of strong country women living simple, inspirational, lives.     In "Martha's Lady," the listener's own chest nearly fills with pride as Martha is inspired by a visitor's kind words. Hicken brings an endearing quality to each New England lady and paints a charming portrait of the richness of women's relationships that is still powerful today.

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