Other books that might interest you

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  The Magic Shop

  H. G. Wells

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  H.G. Wells’ The Magic Shop is a captivating short story that blends wonder, illusion, and an undercurrent of unease. In this enchanting yet unsettling tale, a father and his young son visit a peculiar magic shop, where the tricks and illusions seem more real than they should be. As they explore, the father realizes that the shop’s wonders defy the laws of physics, hinting at something truly supernatural. What starts as a whimsical adventure quickly transforms into an experience filled with mystery, curiosity, and an eerie sense of unease. 
  Narrated by Brett Carter, this audiobook brings Wells’ classic tale to life, immersing listeners in the Victorian-era setting and its surreal, dreamlike atmosphere. Perfect for fans of speculative fiction and early fantasy literature, The Magic Shop is a story that leaves readers questioning the boundary between illusion and reality. 
  Originally published in 1903, this classic short story remains a fascinating exploration of childhood wonder, skepticism, and the unknown.

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  Bad Houses

  John Elizabeth Stintzi

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  A boisterous collection of surreal, darkly humourous short stories that will delight fans of George Saunders and Kelly Link
  		 
  From John Elizabeth Stintzi, the mind that created the daringly bizarre novel My Volcano, comes an electrifying collection of strange and dark tales.
  		 
  In the surreal, often precarious realities of Bad Houses, a doctor discovers a double-edged cure for the Ebola virus, a college student loses a different body part each time they return home for the summer, Midas's hairdresser strives to keep his secrets, and a young girl develops a fascination with the trolls who harvest her father's pumpkin patch. At once humourous and horrifying, these stories will inevitably take residence in your mind.
  		 
  Present throughout Bad Houses is a deep and abiding sense of humanity sprinkled with a dash of alienation, guilt, and instability. Filtered through a fabulist lens, these stories contemplate the struggles of modern existence. Each character lives their own haunted life, trying to navigate the path from bad houses to good homes.

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  The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard

  Arthur Conan Doyle

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  Stories of adventures and derring-do featuring the man who is “after Holmes and Watson, Arthur Conan Doyle’s most successful literary creation” (Julian Symons, Edgar Award–winning British crime writer).   Originally published in The Strand magazine in the 1890s, the tales of Etienne Gerard, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, shows Arthur Conan Doyle at his satiric best. In his own words, Gerard takes readers through his illustrious career, his glorious feats as a lieutenant, squadron officer, colonel, and chief of a brigade. It is a hero’s journey, embarked on by a man known far and wide for his duel with six fencing masters, and who found glory on the battlefield and taught Europe how to fight.   Follow Gerard on his exploits as he encounters a man rumored to be the most wicked in Poland in “How the Brigadier Came to the Castle of Gloom.” “How the Brigadier Slew the Brothers of Ajaccio” portrays the very singular affair which propelled his career upwards and established his secret bond with Emperor Napoleon. And Gerard modestly recounts how he cemented his place in history as one of Napoleon’s greatest confidants in “How the Brigadier Was Tempted by the Devil.”  “In its pages you will find adventure, action, romance, love and self-sacrifice, hair’s-breadth escape and reckless courage, gallantry, panache and a droll, backhand humor that rivals that of P.G. Wodehouse. You will also find yourself, even more than with the celebrated stories of Holmes and Watson, in the hands of an indisputable artist. For more than any other adventure stories I know, these stories have a power to move the reader.” —Michael Chabon on NPR’s You Must Read This

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  Stories About Miners And Mining...

  Bret Harte, D H Lawrence, E T A...

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  Man has learnt to control his dominion by the use of what initially lay about him; wood and stone for shelter and building as well as resources from the plant and animal worlds over which he slowly obtained dominion.  But as he organised into Nations and Empires, he needed more with which to keep the whole machine spinning.  Society was growing and consuming more.  But many of the richer seams of fuel and minerals lay buried underground.  These riches needed exploiting, brought to the surface to be used and sold.   
   
  In this volume our authors detail sharp-eyed narratives on people whose lives were connected and directed by what happened underground. 
   
  1 - Stories About Mines and Mining - An Introduction 
  2 - Odour of Chrysanthemums by D H Lawrence 
  3 - The Mine Cart by Ryunosuke Akutagawa 
  4 - The Luck of Roaring Camp by Bret Harte 
  5 - An Unexpected Reunion by Johann Hebel 
  6 - The Mines of Falun - Part 1 by E T A Hoffman 
  7 - The Mines of Falun - Part 2 by E T A Hoffman 
  8 - Her Turn by D H Lawrence

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  Letters to you to her to no one

  Vasilena Spasova

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  "Hand in hand, two on the grey concrete, him and I. And we, Mum...We had just wanted some vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips. We hadn't wanted anything more out of life, but life surprised us." Sometimes, one's most sincere thoughts and feelings can only be expressed in a letter to their mother. Letters to you, to her, to no one is a moving story about a girl growing up in a Bulgarian orphanage told through intimate letters to her imaginary mother. The letters span years, recording a journey exploring friendship, loss, anorexia, and, most of all, dreams.

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  Owen Oliver - A Short Story...

  Owen Oliver

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  Owen Oliver was born Joshua Albert Flynn in Sheerness, Kent, on 15th September 1863.  He was the eldest son of Albert Spencer Flynn and benefitted from a good education at private schools and then on to graduating at King's College, London.    Writing came after he had established himself as a senior civil servant and after he married Ada Parkinson who he had two sons and three daughters with.   
   
  Flynn served in South Africa as financial adviser to Lord Kitchener, worked for the Admiralty and the War Office from 1885 and was appointed director-general of finance at the Ministry of Pensions in 1916.  He excelled professionally and was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1910 and knighted in 1919.  
   
  Under his pen name, Owen Oliver, he contributed over 250 short stories in different genres that were published in the popular magazines of the day.  Science fiction mainly in the Yellow Magazine, romance in the Windsor Magazine and numerous adventure stories in the London Magazine and  Cassell’s.  In 1918, he published the novel "An Author's Daughter" followed by A Knight at Heart, which delved into themes of chivalry, honour and love, set against the backdrop of historical events. Through his evocative prose and engaging narratives Oliver transported readers to different worlds, inviting them to experience the thrill of adventure and life in possibly a simpler time.  He wrote one further novel as well as a non-fiction book on the civil service that included the idea of widening recruitment outside of the elite universities. 
   
  Joshua Albert Flynn, aka Owen Oliver, died in Streatham, south London on 8th October 1933.  He was 70. 
   
  1 - Owen Oliver - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  2 - The Cloud-Men by Owen Oliver 
  3 - Days of Darkness by Owen Oliver 
  4 - The Awakening by Owen Oliver 
  5 - An Unsolicited Contribution by Owen Oliver 
  6 - The Specification by Owen Oliver

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