Other books that might interest you

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  Russian Short Story The - Volume...

  Alexander Puschkin, Nikolai Gogol

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  The Russian novel has a reputation that is immense, both in narrative and in length.  Unquestionably though the ideas, themes and characters make many novels rightly revered as world class, as icons of literature. 
   
  Perhaps an easier way to enjoy a wider selection of the Russian heritage, with its varied and glorious literary talents, is with the short story.  These gems sparkle and beguile the mind with their characters and narrative, exploring facets of society and the human condition that more Western authors somehow find more difficult to navigate, or to explore, explain and relate to.   
   
  The Russian short story is, in many respects, in a genre of its own.  It is at its captivating best whether it’s an exploration of real-life experiences, through fantasy and fables and on to total absurdity. 
   
  In a land so vast it is unsurprising that it is a world almost unto itself. Cultures and landscapes of differing hues are packed together bound only by the wilful bonds and force of Empire. 
   
  The stories in this collection traverse the decades where one might be a serf under an absolute monarch, and the reality of that was pretty near to slavery, into an emancipation of sorts in the fields, or towns under the despotic will of landowners and the rich into the upheavals of Empire and then the overthrow of the ruling class and its replacement by the communists, who promised equality for all and delivered a society where the down-trodden remained the lowest yet vital cog of the state machine and its will.  
   
  Whilst Tolstoy, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Pushkin and Chekhov are a given in any Russian collection we also explore and include Andreyev, Korolenko, Turgenev, Blavatsky and many others to create a world rich and dense across a sprawling landscape of diverse people, riddled with the class and unfairness in perhaps some of the most turbulent times that Russia has ever experienced. 
   
  01 - The Russian Short Story - Volume 1 - An Introduction 
  02 - The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin 
  03 - The Stationmaster by Alexander Pushkin 
  04 - The Blizzard by Alexander Pushkin 
  05 - The Coffin Maker by Alexander Pushkin 
  06 - The Shot by Alexander Pushkin 
  07 - St Johns Eve by Nikolai Gogol 
  08 - The Cloak by Nikolai Gogol also known as 'The Overcoat' 
  09 - Old Fashioned Landowners by Nikolai Gogol 
  10 - The Nose by Nikolai Gogol

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  The Headhunter's Granddaughter

  Terry Iwanski

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  Pedo, the central character of "The Headhunter's Granddaughter", grew up deep in the jungles of Borneo, Malaysia. Her parents gave her away to her father's brother, a cruel man who used her for child labor, tapping rubber trees to make money. Her parents had too many mouths to feed, twelve children in all. Pedo wouldn't be missed. 
  Her grandfather, the "Headhunter", cared for her by recruiting village women to breastfeed her and their children. During WWII, the Japanese invaded Borneo and tried to take over their village, and Pedo's grandfather practiced his 'skills' with a vengeance. 
  As she grew older, Pedo was still naked to the world until one of the village women took pity on her and gave her an old white smock, which she wore for many years. She still didn't have any underwear or shoes. 
  The years pass, and then a middle-aged American man walks by the Salon one afternoon. She smiled and waved 'hello' to him, hoping to attract another customer. That gesture was the beginning of the next fruitful adventure in her life.

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  We're All in This Together - So...

  Tom Papa

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  This program is read by the author."In 37 short essays comedian Tom Papa reminds listeners that life's absurdities are here to stay and that everyone is doing the best they can. His tone and delivery are comforting, heartwarming, even therapeutic."- AudioFile Stand-up is all well and good, but observational humor that’s funny and warm may work best in books.  And Tom Papa, whose loyal audiences are packed with “date night” couples of all ages, has perfected the form. In We're All In This Together, Papa’s thirty-seven short essays tackle these universal American topics, among others:–Love for Your First Car (“To Buy or Lease”)–The Truth about Personal Hygiene (“How You Know When It’s Time to Go”)–Date Nights (“Will You Go Out with Me?”)–Unfamiliar Hotel Rooms (“Why Nothing Works”)–Pets (“Cats–Ancient Menace”)–Drinking (“There’s no Cure for a Hangover”)–Ducking your Family, even Though you Love Them (“The Lesson of Mark Twain’s Cigars”)Tom Papa’s books make readers laugh, but–crucially–feel better about themselves while doing it.  And while there’s thematic overlap with Papa’s stand-up, with a couple of exceptions, all the writing here is fresh for our book.A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

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  Mourt's Relation - A Journal of...

  Edward Winslow, William Bradford

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  Mourt's Relation was written between November 1620 and November 1621, and it gives a detailed descriptionof what happened from the landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims on Cape Cod in Provincetown Harbor through their exploring and eventual settling of Plymouth Colony. It was written primarily by Edward Winslow, although William Bradford appears to have written most of the first section. The book describes their relations with the surrounding Native Americans, up to what is commonly called the first Thanksgiving and the arrival of the ship Fortune in November 1621.

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  Fixing the Fates - An Adoptee's...

  Diane Dewey

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  The secrets, lies, and layers of deception about Diane Dewey’s origins were meant for her protection—but eventually, they imploded. Living with her family in suburban Philadelphia, Diane had grown up knowing she was born in Stuttgart and adopted at age one from an orphanage. She’d been told her biological parents were dead. Then, in 2002, when she was forty-seven years old, Diane got a letter from Switzerland: her biological father, Otto, wanted to bring her into his life. With that, her world shifted on its axis. 
  In the months that ensued, everybody had a different story to tell about Diane’s origins, including Otto when they met in New York City. She struggled to understand what was at stake with the lies. Like a private eye, she sifted through competing versions of the truth only to find that, having traveled throughout Europe and back, identity is a state of mind. As more information surfaced, the myths gave way to a certain elusive peace; Diane discovered a tribe in her mother’s family, found a Swiss husband, gained a voice, and, for the first time, began to trust in the intuition that had nudged her all along. One-part forensic investigation, one-part self-discovery, Fixing the Fates  is a story about seeing behind artifice and living one’s truth.

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  You can't be here i have a girl...

  IJEOMA GRACE AGU

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  When the pain, shock and betrayal of a loved one left me reeling and unable to speak, I resorted to penning down my unfiltered thoughts in the moment. With conflicts running riot within me, I asked questions and searched desperately for answers but found none. I came face to face with how difficult it was to honour one's own boundaries. Time did its thing as I slowly journaled my way into finding my voice again. 
  A memoir of unfiltered thoughts in the moments of betrayal and hurt.

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