Other books that might interest you

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  Forty Winks Before Dawn

  Kimberly Lium

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  Three friends board an overnight sleeper bus in Japan, little knowing the sinister bus journey they will ensure should they stay awake throughout. Chills and thrills in this short story from the Storytel Epigram Horror Competition.

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  The Best That You Can Do - Stories

  Amina Gautier

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  Winner of the 2023 Soft Skull-Kimbilio Publishing Prize, a collection of short stories that elaborate the realities of a diasporic existence, split identities, and the beautiful potency of meaningful connections 
   
   
   
  Primarily told from the perspective of women and children in the Northeast who are tethered to fathers and families in Puerto Rico, these stories explore the confusion of being one person in two places—of having a mother who wants your father and his language to stay on his island but sends you there because you need to know your family. Loudly and joyfully filled with Cousins, Aunts, Grandparents, and budding romances, these stories are saturated in summer nostalgia, and place listeners at the center of the table to enjoy family traditions and holidays: the resplendent and universal language of survival for displaced or broken families. 
   
   
   
  Refusing to shy away from dysfunction, loss, obligation, or interrogating Black and Latinx heritages, Gautier's stories feature New York neighborhoods made of island nations living with seasonal and perpetual displacement. Like Justin Torres's We the Animals or Quiara Alegria Hudes's My Broken Language, it's the characters-in-becoming—flanked by family and rich with detail—that animate each story with special frequencies, especially for listeners grappling with split-identities themselves.

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  In A Grove - From their pens to...

  Ryunosuke Akutagawa

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  Ryūnosuke Niihara was born in Kyōbashi, Tokyo in Japan on the 1st March 1892.  Sadly, his mother suffered severe mental illness after his birth and so, at only eight months old, he was sent to be raised by his maternal uncle and aunt, from whom he received the Akutagawa family name.  
  He was fascinated by classical Chinese literature from his early years and began writing after entering what was then the Tokyo Imperial University in 1913 to study English Literature.   
  The following year Akutagawa and his friends revived the literary journal ‘New Currents of Thought’ which published their own works and translations of such icons as W B Yeats and Anatole France. 
  Akutagawa published "Rashōmon" in 1915 and whilst it was disliked by his friends everyone else knew better.  As other short stories followed so did his growing literary reputation as the father of the Japanese short story. 
  Much of his work reinterpreted former classical works and incidents and this, melded with his strong dislike of naturalism, produced a writer of rare and genuine quality.  His character palette featured strong and domineering women, mainly based on his mother and the aunt who helped raise him. 
  In 1921, he spent four months in China as a reporter.  Whilst there his health was compromised by several illnesses and both his physical and mental health spiralled downwards.  He began to suffer from hallucinations and dreaded that he might have inherited his mother’s mental disorders.  
  Although he survived one suicide attempt Ryūnosuke Akutagawa died on the 24th July 1927 in Tokyo from an overdose of Veronal, a barbiturate.  He was 35.

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  Brooksmith

  Henry James

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  "Brooksmith," a short story written by Henry James in 1891, tells the tale of Brooksmith, a retired diplomat's butler the 'narrator' had once known. Brooksmith was responsible for the preservation of the atmosphere the diplomat's salon where the guests enjoyed a high level of intellectual conversation. Brooksmith was regarded by the narrator as "the artist" who insured that the company at each gathering was the optimum number and mix of personalities to provide the highest level of conversation possible. 
   
  This was partially of benefit to Brooksmith himself, who would linger in the room on some pretext or other in order to eavesdrop on the exchanges. The diplomat was well aware of this, and alluded to it on occasion with dryly humorous remarks. With the diplomat's death, Brooksmith loses his vocation, which to him was almost a calling. At the end of the story, the narrator reveals that Brooksmith, lonely and dispirited, works a few odd jobs but falls into poverty and illness, and eventually disappears.

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  These Precious Hours

  Michael Corrigan

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  These Precious Hours is a collection of related and interconnected stories concerning loss and recovery. At the end, many of the characters meet.Declan Mulligan has lost a wife and visits Ireland to connect with a remote past. Dexter Flanagan has lost a beautiful woman to another, but writes a great love song. After a personal tragedy, Sean Dineen joins his ailing ex-wife to see the wedding of their son in Paraguay.About the author: Michael Corrigan holds an MA in English from San Francisco State and attended the American Film Institute. He worked with several theatre artists, including Sam Shepard and Peter Coyote, and was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize for his story, "Free Fall". Idaho State University Press published his grief memoir, A Year and a Day, dedicated to his late wife, Karen. These Precious Hours is his fifth book.

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  The murder of Roger Ackroyd

  Agatha Christie

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  The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie is one of the most famous mystery novels ever written and a masterpiece of detective fiction.In the quiet English village of King's Abbot, wealthy businessman Roger Ackroyd is found murdered shortly after receiving a shocking letter connected to the recent death of a woman named Mrs. Ferrars. As secrets begin to surface, the legendary Belgian detective Hercule Poirot comes out of retirement to investigate the crime.Narrated by Dr. James Sheppard, the story follows Poirot as he uncovers hidden motives, lies, and unexpected connections among the villagers. Every suspect seems to have something to hide, making the mystery increasingly complex. With brilliant twists and psychological suspense, the novel builds toward one of the most surprising endings in crime fiction history.Perfect for fans of classic mysteries, suspenseful investigations, and clever storytelling, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd remains a timeless audiobook experience that continues to captivate listeners around the world.

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