Other books that might interest you

• 

  Chasing the Black Eagle

  Bruce Geddes

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  After detainment by the Bureau of Investigation, Arthur Tormes is forced to spy on Hubert Julian. For thirteen years he follows Julian—a parachutist, pilot, and possible seditious threat to the United States. To win his freedom, Arthur must stay close to Julian, from New York City to Ethiopia, often at great personal sacrifice.

  Show book

• 

  Fascist as Author The - A Short...

  Knut Hamsun, Luigi Pirandello,...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Authors are authors and we are drawn to their works because of their style, their narrative, and their characters and how each part is assembled into the arc of the whole. 
   
  But are we?  Do social conventions, or fashion or other influences decide what we read or what we listen to? 
   
  Its famously said that everyone has a story, everyone should be heard. 
   
  So, when we discover a particular author has a dark past, a difficult character, what do we do?   
   
  Europe was in the last century riven by two catastrophic world wars and a myriad of other local ones.  And like good citizens everywhere our thoughts are stilled by the word ‘Fascist’.  This word which originally meant many strands held together to make a stronger whole is now a one word response to evil and work done in its name. 
   
  In this volume our approach has been to take authors of then great renown, two of whom won the Nobel Prize, and compile a work from each which is seen in a literary context rather than in the heinous shadow of their political and social beliefs.   
   
  We are taught that authors write of their own experiences, but is that really true?  Can an author be separated from their nihilistic approach to politics and actually be a good writer who adds to our knowledge and experience rather than taint us with their reprehensible beliefs on their fellow man. 
   
  Its an ongoing argument.  Perhaps both sides are right.  Perhaps both sides are wrong.

  Show book

• 

  Oddity of the Ton

  Emily Royal

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Eleanor Howard has never fit in. Constantly outshone by her younger sister, and continually criticized by her ambitious mother, Eleanor yearns to be loved for herself. Her secret infatuation with the Duke of Whitcombe—who'd never deign to notice, much less court her—would, if revealed, make her the laughingstock of the ton. 
   
   
   
  Until he strides across a crowded ballroom and offers his hand. 
   
   
   
  Montague FitzRoy, fifth Duke of Whitcombe, is unwilling to surrender the pleasures of bachelorhood. When his mother, insistent on finding him a duchess of the right pedigree, forces his hand, he decides on impulse to punish her by kneeling before the least desirable woman in the room. 
   
   
   
  Only Miss Howard believes his proposal to be genuine. 
   
   
   
  The solution? A false betrothal that keeps Monty's mother in check, and lifts Miss Howard's prospects. But beneath Eleanor's awkward exterior lies a passionate, intelligent woman, misunderstood and unappreciated, who challenges Monty's notions of duty, life, and love—and with whom he's falling in love himself. 
   
   
   
  As the end of the Season, and their inevitable parting, approaches, Monty is faced with a choice—surrender to duty, or follow his heart. 
   
   
   
  Contains mature themes.

  Show book

• 

  Biloxi - A Story of Hope

  Scott Parish

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  A poignant tale of resilience, loss, and adaptation, Biloxi is set against the backdrop of rural Tennessee to Mississippi during the civil right movement. Forced to rebuild his life after a tragic accident, Charlie and his family befriend a local black family. But not everyone is as welcoming. Charlies must navigate life, work, and family through systemic enduring racism."This book is written so vividly that I wanted to know more about what happened to these families. …Captivating writing and storyline … how these families maneuvered through racism in the deep South and how their friendships grew despite racism. Loved it from beginning to ending!" – Stephanie J.“The narrative shines with vivid descriptions and compelling characters. Biloxi offers a heartfelt reminder of the human capacity to endure and thrive in adversity." - Olajide Ojeniyi

  Show book

• 

  Rabies - A tale of disease from...

  Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Vicente Blasco Ibáñez was born in Valencia, Spain on 29th January 1867.  
   
  At university, he studied law and graduated in 1888 but never felt the urgency to practice - he was more interested in politics, journalism, literature and women.   
   
  Politically he was a militant Republican partisan and, in his youth, founded a newspaper, El Pueblo (The People). The newspaper was taken to court many times and he made many enemies. In one incident he was shot and almost killed. In 1896, Ibáñez was arrested and sentenced to a few months in prison. 
   
  Despite this colourful background he found time to write novels. His first published work was ‘La Araña Negra’ (The Black Spider) in 1892, a work that he later repudiated although at the time it was a useful vehicle for him to express his anti-clerical views. 
   
  In 1894, he published ‘Arroz y Tartana’ (Airs and Graces), about a late 19th Century widow in Valencia trying to keep up appearances in order to marry her daughters well.   
   
  Ibáñez’s next sequence of books studied rural life in the farmlands of Valencia and failed to gain much of an audience.   
   
  His writing now took on a new direction with its now familiar sensational and melodramatic themes in 1908 with ‘Sangre y Arena’ (Blood and Sand), which follows the career of Juan Gallardo from his poor beginnings as a child in Seville, to his rise to becoming a famous matador in Madrid 
   
  However, his greatest success was ‘Los Cuatro Jinetes del Apocalipsis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) in 1916, which tells a tangled tale of the French and German sons-in-law of an Argentinian land-owner who find themselves fighting on opposite sides in the First World War.  It was a literary and commercial sensation and became the best-selling book of 1919.  It also propelled Rudolph Valentino to stardom in the 1921 film. 
   
  Ironically his fame in the English-speaking world has come not as a novelist but as the stories behind some of Hollywood’s greatest silent movies. 
   
  Vicente Blasco Ibáñez died in Menton, France on January 28th, 1928, the day before his 61st birthday.

  Show book

• 

  The Witchfinder’s Assistant

  Ruth Goldstraw

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Beautifully written and a thoroughly absorbing read. I found it impossible to put down' Deborah Carr, USA Today Bestseller 
  THE TOWN OF WEM, SHROPSHIRE 1643 
  Civil war is ripping England apart. 
  Families are divided, emotions run high. 
  Whether on the bleakness of the moors or in snug, wood-panelled rooms, danger lurks. 
  A body is found, its mouth pierced with thorns. 
  The Justice of the Peace, a godly man, is certain that witchcraft is involved. 
  Only his assistant, former cavalryman John Carne, looks for reason where others see demons and witches. 
  But John has secrets of his own – secrets that concern his cold and distant wife. And it’s not long before the darkness that has engulfed Wem grows darker still…Readers are loving The Witchfinder's Assistant: 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Fascinating… a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read' 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The final denouement was a surprise, and was told in a thrilling and interesting manner. Wickedness can sometimes be hidden behind a fair face. I enjoyed it very much' 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A well researched and intriguing look at England in 1643…Goldstraw's an excellent storyteller- this one pulled me in and kept me reading' 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐'Engaging and absorbing…an historical novel for our own times' 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐'The historical setting is richly detailed, and Goldstraw does an excellent job of capturing the tension and paranoia of the time' 
  In this top-rated historical fiction, the supernatural and the occult intertwine with a mystery that keeps the reader on edge. The detective work of John Carne, set in the pre-era of modern forensics, adds a unique twist to the paranormal theme. 
  For fans of Sarah Woodbury (This Small Corner of Time), David Field (Beyond The Setting Sun), Giles Kristian (Arthur), Kate Foster (The Mourning Necklace), and Anne Easter Smith (Royal Mistress). 
  HarperCollins 2024

  Show book