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  Hikayat - Short Stories by...

  Roseanne Saad Khalaf

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  From Lebanon's golden age, through years of civil conflict and its aftermath, these women offer a captivating portrait of a country in flux. Well-known authors such as Emily Nasarallah, Hanan al-Shaykh and Alawiya Sobh, alongside newer voices, share he desire to push boundaries, tackling subjects from the crippling effects of war in past decades, through longing for romantic adventures in a conservative society, to the functioning of families across the divides of emigration and generational conflict. The characters in these stories are on the brink of something - whether it be religious or social divides, or sexual awakening. The language reflects the great tension, and the great beauty in their transformation. And the collection as a whole reveals the rich diversity of the complex multi-cultural society out of which these stories have emerged. 'In turn lyrical, sensuous, comic and ironic ... rare and fascinating ...' Independent 'Some truly insightful, engaging work ...' New Statesman

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  The Bundle of Letters

  Maurus Jókai

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  Mór Jókai (1825-1904), also known as Maurus Jokai, was a Hungarian dramatist and novelist.A celebrated doctor receives a visit from a new patient with a most peculiar ailment. He has an excruciatingly painful spot on his hand. But on examination, he can find nothing wrong with the patient at all. He assumes it is a psychosomatic illness, but the patient is insistant that the area of his hand be surgically removed. When the doctor declines this, the patient attempts to cut out the area himself, and the doctor is obliged to complete the operation after all.Apparently cured, and endlessly grateful, the patient leaves. But a few weeks later the condition has recurred, and the doctor must operate on the healthy hand again. A few weeks later, a letter arrives from the patient. The condition has recurred again... but this time the patient is unwilling to try to cure it through surgery again. He explains the background of his strange malady.... and a very peculiar and gripping tale it is....

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  Mariner's Ark

  Peter Tonkin

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  Mother Nature declares war on the West Coast in this“terrifying, suspenseful, and vividly told” action thriller: “A must for high-seas-adventure fans” (Booklist).   Richard and Robin Mariner are in Long Beach, California, overseeing the arrival of their container ship, Sulu Queen. From there, the adventuresome couple plan to join their friend Nic aboard his fifty-million-dollar motor yacht as he races his daughter in an Olympic-standard Katapult multihull down the coast to Mexico.   But when a catastrophic once-in-a-thousand-years megastorm known as an ARkStorm overwhelms them, Richard and Robin are forced to turn the Sulu Queen into a real Noah’s ark. Richard must guide her into the deadliest weather the Pacific has ever seen as he fights to save those closest to him—as well as countless other lives.  “Readers who batten down the hatches and keep the Dramamine handy should enjoy the rough but rewarding ride.” —Publishers Weekly on Thunder Bay   “Tense, action-packed and authentic-feeling, especially in its welcome attention to maritime detail.” —Kirkus Reviews on Deadly Impact

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  The American Experience - A...

  Edgar Allan Poe, Edith Wharton,...

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  Ten superbly narrated stories that help explain America by America's best writers. Irving's incredible and amusing tale of the archetypal "Rip Van Winkle" relates the story of a man who slept through history. Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage" tells of a young soldier who must struggle with his conscience no matter what the consequences. "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is Mark Twain's hilarious story of a contest to end all contests in the rowdy days of the Forty-Niners. Edgar Allan Poe's "The Man of the Crowd" tells of one man's strange fascination with another. "The Ransom of Red Chief" is another of O. Henry's tales of a kidnapping that goes horribly, horribly, wrong. 
   
  Including: 
   
  "Rip Van Winkle" 
  by Washington Irving, 
  narrated by George Vafiadis 
   
  "The Man of the Crowd" 
  by Edgar Allan Poe, 
  narrated by Ralph Cosham 
   
  "The Red Badge of Courage" 
  by Stephen Crane, 
  narrated by Sean Pratt 
   
  "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" 
  by Mark Twain, 
  narrated by Thomas Becker 
   
  "The Ransom of Red Chief" 
  by O'Henry, 
  narrated by Michael Hanson 
   
  "The Call of the Wild" 
  by Jack London, 
  narrated by Michael Kramer 
   
  "Desiree's Baby" 
  by Kate Chopin, 
  narrated by Jacquilin Kinlow 
   
  "Miss Tempy's Watchers" 
  by Sarah Orne Jewett, 
  narrated by Tana Hickens 
   
  "The Eyes" 
  by Edith Wharton, 
  narrated by Ralph Cosham 
   
  "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" 
  by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 
  narrated by Kimberly Schraf

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  Lifeboatmen

  Simon Wills

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  Based on a true story, a riveting novel of a deadly hurricane, a dramatic rescue attempt, and a quest for redemption in a nineteenth-century English town . . .   Dorset, England, 1866: The worst hurricane in over a century is devastating the south coast of England. In the town of Poole, the newly appointed lifeboat is launched to aid the numerous stricken ships in the vicinity—but unaccountably fails to save any lives. Many sailors drown as a result.   In an era when gallantry and self-sacrifice are expected, the lifeboatmen are publicly accused of cowardice by local dignitaries, creating a serious rift in a close-knit community. It is in this atmosphere of suspicion and blame that lifeboat coxswain Richard Stokes finds himself tasked with overcoming a prevailing sense of pessimism and creating a viable team that will be ready for the next maritime emergency.   By recognizing the weaknesses that lie within both his crew and himself, he endeavors to take the sometimes-painful steps to put things right. In a divided community battered by the rages of the sea, relationships and loyalties are tested. When another opportunity eventually presents itself for the lifeboatmen to test their mettle, they are prepared to venture into violent seas to the site of a treacherously unstable wreck—in an attempt to redeem themselves, and to save forty-six souls trapped on board . . .   This fast-paced historical novel based on a true story provides an authentic and enthralling evocation of a seafaring community on the brink of great change.</The worst hurricane for over a century devastated the south coast of England in 1866, during a period when emergency services were in their infancy.In the town of Poole, Dorset, the newly appointed lifeboat is launched to aid the numerous stricken ships in the vicinity but unaccountably fails to save any lives. Many sailors are drowned as a result. In an era when gallantry and self-sacrifice were expected, the lifeboatmen are publicly accused of cowardice by local dignitaries creating a serious rift in a close-knit community.It is in this atmosphere of suspicion and blame that lifeboat coxswain Richard Stokes finds himself, tasked with overcoming a prevailing sense of pessimism and creating a viable team which will be ready for the next maritime emergency. By recognising the weaknesses that lie within both his crew and himself, he endeavours to take the sometimes painful steps to put things right. In a divided community battered by the rages of the sea, relationships and loyalties are tested in dramatic style.When another opportunity eventually presents itself for the lifeboatmen to test their mettle, they are prepared to put all their plans into action and present a courageous front. In violent seas, they are called to a treacherously unstable wreck with forty-six men trapped on board. Will the coxswain and his men be able to save all souls on board and redeem past mistakes, or will this be yet another opportunity for the community to blast their efforts and deem their services dangerously insufficient?This fast paced true story provides an authentic and enthralling evocation of a nineteenth century seafaring community on the brink of great change.As featured on BBC Radio Solent and in the Bournemouth Echo

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  The Letters of Jane Austen

  Jane Austen

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  This recording includes a selection of Jane Austen's letters, edited by Susan Coolidge and chosen from the collection of Austen's great-nephew, Edward, Lord Brabourne. The letters are mostly addressed to Austen's sister Cassandra, with whom she was very close. There are also some letters written to two of her nieces, Anna Austen Lefroy and Fanny Knight. They include some references to her published work, including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma

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