Other books that might interest you

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  The Monastery Volume 2

  Walter Scott

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  "The Monastery" by Walter Scott unfolds against the backdrop of 16th-century Scotland, during the Reformation. The narrative follows the escapades of Sir Piercie Shafton, a flamboyant English knight, and explores the interactions between the monastic and secular worlds. Amidst political turmoil, romantic entanglements, and the mystical allure of Glendearg Abbey, Scott crafts a captivating tale of intrigue and humor. Rich in historical detail and vivid characters, "The Monastery" is a compelling exploration of religious upheaval and societal change in the tumultuous era.

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  Ma'ame Pelagie - From their pens...

  Kate Chopin

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  Katherine O'Flaherty was born on the 8th February 1850 in St Louis, Missouri to parents of French and Irish descent. 
  At age 5, she was sent to the Sacred Heart Academy and, apart from a 2 year period at home when her father died, remained there until graduating in 1868.  Whilst there she began writing and became an avid reader of almost anything that crossed her path.   
  Kate married Oscar Chopin in 1870 and the couple moved to New Orleans, and later to the rural setting of Cloutierville, Louisiana to raise their 6 children.  
  In 1882 her husband died leaving her in a deep trench of debt.  Despite her best efforts to turn the businesses around they were sold, and she moved the family back to St Louis and the financial help of her mother.  Sadly, her mother died within the year.  Kate, now struggling with depression, pushed herself to write and gained a local reputation as a writer of short stories that captured the local color and vibrancy of her surroundings.  
  By the early 1890’s her short stories were published nationally.  With this widespread audience also came negative reviews, controversy, and cries of immorality as themes such as interracial relationships, the rights of women and other burning issues of the day were written about. 
  Despite the criticism, which unnerved her, she continued to write though in the main her works, around 100 short stories and two novels, were not attributed with any literary worth. 
  Kate Chopin died from a brain haemorrhage in St Louis Missouri on the 22nd of August 1904.  She was 54. 
  For much of the 20th Century her work was forgotten and out of print.  It was only in early 1970’s, with the rise of feminism and the call for a more just society that she was given the status her works had long described and shone a literary light at.  She is now safely revered as one of America’s great authors.

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  The Powerhouse

  John Buchan

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  Edward Leithen is a young M.P., barrister, and rising man in London society. When one of his old friends goes missing, Leithen decides to investigate. He discovers that some element of danger was involved in his friend's flight, and from that point events spiral beyond his control. Along with a couple friends whose help he has sought, Leithen finds himself facing the wrath of a powerful and sinister secret organization. While this yarn carries the reader along with its fast-paced events, drama, and danger, it still allows for some measured reflections on the political nature of a technocratic society. One of John Buchan's most celebrated quotes is uttered in a dialogue between Leithen and the leader of the Powerhouse: "You think that a wall as solid as the earth separates civilization from barbarism. I tell you the division is a thread, a sheet of glass." John Buchan (died 1940) was an influential writer of the modernist period. Their work has endured across generations and continues to be read and studied worldwide. As a work of classic literary fiction, The Powerhouse exemplifies the narrative craft and social insight that defined great storytelling of its era. Literary fiction of this period was characterized by careful attention to character psychology, social milieu, and the moral questions that animated public discourse.

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  Alls Well That Ends Well

  William Shakespeare

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  This play is a dramatization of Boccaccio’s story of Gillette of Narbonne. Only the comic parts were of Shakespeare’s invention; he added the characters of the pusillanimous Parolles, the lofty courtier Lafew, the Clown Lavatch, and the long suffering Countess. He gave new depth and vitality to the leading characters, who are mere outlines in Boccaccio’s tale. 
  The comedy has for its heroine a young woman who loves the haughty Bertram with an unrequited and despised passion, cures the King of France of a dangerous sickness, claims as her reward the right to choose a husband from among the courtiers, chooses Bertram, is repudiated by him, and, after a nocturnal meeting at which she takes the place of another woman whom he believes himself to have seduced, at last overcomes his resistance and is acknowledged as his wife. 
  In Helena, Shakespeare drew a portrait of familiar type of loving and cruelly maltreated womanhood—the woman who suffers everything in inexhaustible tenderness and humility, and never falters in her love until in the end she wins the rebellious heart.

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  How to Stay Well

  Christian D. Larson

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  How to Stay Well by Christian D. Larson is offered here in a clean English digital edition prepared for fluent ebook reading. The work stands within classics and gives modern readers direct access to a public-domain classic with navigable structure and a restrained typographic presentation. The opening pages establish the book's atmosphere with this first movement: Introduction.—There are many systems of healing, and their number is growing steadily, but there is no single system in existence as yet that is based on all the laws of life. Disease comes from the violation of one or more of the laws of life, therefore, it can be cured only by bringing mind and bo This edition is suited to readers who want a reliable, uncluttered version of the text for study, rediscovery, and sustained reading.

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  Drama Games for Exploring...

  Alanna Beeken, Foundation Coram...

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  This dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book, part of the bestselling Drama Games series, offers dozens of games to help bring Shakespeare's plays to life in the classroom or rehearsal room – making them fun and accessible to actors, students, directors and teachers.
  Inspired by the work of leading cultural education charity Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, this book offers a wide range of activities to tackle every aspect of the plays, including:
  
  - Warm-ups and General Games to establish an atmosphere of focus, connection, support and fun – all the conditions you need for a successful session
  - Story and World-building to explore the events, environments and societies of Shakespeare's plays
  - Introducing Shakespeare's Language to break down the text and allow participants to uncover the meaning through play and creative discovery
  - Activating Shakespeare's Language to liberate actors from the script through movement and voice-work
  - Character to help develop compelling, believable performances by investigating motivations and relationships, circumstances and emotions
  - Staging to help empower every member of the ensemble in moments that might be challenging to stage – such as big movement sequences, fights and battles and intimate love scenes
  Whatever your reason for exploring Shakespeare – whether you're directing a production, teaching a set text, or introducing his work to young people for the first time – this essential resource will give you the tools you need to demystify the language, take ownership of the plays, and find a connection to the words that resonates in our own time.
  'This wonderful book will be an invaluable resource for anyone approaching the teaching or directing of Shakespeare, whether novice or veteran' Paterson Joseph, from his Foreword

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