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  1521: The Defiance - A...

  Charleston Lim

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  History remembers the fall of Ferdinand Magellan, but it forgets the lives caught in his death's shadow. 
  1521: The Defiance is not merely a retelling of the Battle of Mactan. It is a reckoning with how history is written, who is remembered, and whose stories endure. 
  Drawing from Antonio Pigafetta's chronicle, the only surviving firsthand account of Magellan's final expedition, and grounded in precolonial Visayan culture, this novel explores the lives, fears, and convictions of those who stood on both sides of this historic encounter between islanders and empire. 
  Written by a Filipino author rooted in the land where these events unfolded, 1521: The Defiance reimagines the human stories behind the clash, filling the silences between recorded facts with narrative, emotion, and cultural memory. It offers a perspective rarely centered in colonial histories, one that restores agency, dignity, and complexity to those long reduced to footnotes. 
  This is a story of belief and resistance, of men who sought to change the world, and of those who refused to let it be taken from them. 
    
  "Tell me, Antonio. What will your pages call him if we cannot make him bend?" 
  The Venetian hesitated, then gave a thin smile. 
  "A rebel, perhaps. Or a heathen. Or…" 
  He glanced at his parchment, as if unsure. 
  "Or a fool who defied destiny."

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  3 Stories Set in Hotels - A trio...

  Ralph Plummer, M R James, O Henry

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  There is something about the number 3.    
  The Ancient Greeks believed 3 was the perfect number, and in China 3 has always been a lucky number, and they know a thing or two.   
  Most religions also have 3 this and 3 that and, of course, in these more modern times, three’s a crowd may be too many, except when it’s a ménage à trois.  It seems good things usually come in threes. 
  Whatever history and culture says WE think 3, a hat-trick of stories, is a great number to explore themes and literary avenues that classic authors were so adept at creating. 
   
   
  01 - 3 Stories Set in Hotels 
  02 - Rats by M R James 
  03 - Transients in Arcadia by O Henry 
  04 - Parlour Tricks by Ralph Plummer 
   
   
  01 - 3 Stories Set in Offices 
  02 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 1 by Herman Melville 
  03 - Bartleby the Scrivener - Part 2 by Herman Melville 
  04 - From A to Z by Susan Glaspell 
  05 - The Romance of A Busy Broker by O Henry

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  The Pathfinder

  James Fenimore Cooper

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  Dive into the thrilling adventure of The Pathfinder, the third novel in James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. Set during the tumultuous period of the French and Indian War, this timeless tale follows Natty Bumppo, also known as "Pathfinder," as he navigates the rugged wilderness of upstate New York, showcasing his unmatched skill as a scout and marksman.
   
  The story intertwines themes of loyalty, love, and honor as Pathfinder protects a young woman, Mabel Dunham, during her perilous journey to join her father at a remote military outpost. Along the way, their expedition is fraught with danger, including treacherous waterways, cunning adversaries, and shifting alliances. The richly detailed landscapes and intense action sequences bring the rugged frontier vividly to life.
   
  With his steadfast courage and unwavering moral compass, Pathfinder grapples with his own feelings for Mabel while facing the challenges of loyalty and duty. This audiobook explores the conflict between civilization and the untamed wilderness, creating a poignant and suspenseful narrative.
   
  Whether you're a fan of historical fiction, wilderness adventures, or tales of heroism, The Pathfinder promises an immersive experience filled with vivid imagery, compelling characters, and gripping action. Prepare to be transported to the American frontier in this classic tale of bravery and self-discovery.
   
  Perfect for listeners who love a mix of romance, danger, and the unyielding beauty of nature, this audiobook will leave you captivated from start to finish.

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  Luigi Pirandello - A Short Story...

  Luigi Pirandello

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  Luigi Pirandello was born on 28th June 1867 into an upper-class family in Agrigento, in Sicily. 
   
  In 1880, the family moved to Palermo and there he completed high school and thence to the University of Palermo, at that time the centre of what became the Fasci Siciliani movement.  Although not an active member he had close friendships with many of its leading ideologists.  Pirandello then completed his university studies in Rome and Bonn, receiving his Doctorate in March, 1891. 
   
  His time in Rome had provided him with the opportunity to visit its many theatres. "Oh the dramatic theatre! I will conquer it. I cannot enter into one without experiencing a strange sensation, an excitement of the blood through all my veins..." 
   
  1894 brought marriage, at his father's suggestion, to a shy, withdrawn girl: Mara Antonietta Portulano.  The marriage encouraged his studies and writings and, the following year, the first part of the ‘Dialoghi tra Il Gran Me e Il Piccolo Me’ was published. 
   
  In 1903 the flooding of the sulphur mines in which his father had invested the family capital and Antonietta's dowry, brought financial catastrophe.  She, on hearing the news, was mentally broken.  Pirandello would now work a full day and then watch over his troubled wife at night. Somehow he found time to write ‘The Late Mattia Pascal’.  It was an immediate and resounding success.  
   
  In 1909, Pirandello began his collaboration with the prestigious Corriere della Sera.  Whilst his fame as a writer was increasing his private life was poisoned by the suspicion and jealousy of Antonietta who now turned physically violent.  His plays were now being regularly performed but, within a decade, Antonietta had to be placed into an asylum from which she never left. 
   
  In 1921, in Rome his play, ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’ debuted.  It was a failure.  However, when presented in Milan it was a great success, as it also was in London and New York. 
   
  In 1925, Pirandello, with Mussolini’s help, assumed the artistic direction and ownership of the Teatro d'Arte di Roma.  He now described himself both as ‘a Fascist because I am Italian’ and ‘I'm apolitical, I'm only a man in the world...’  However his later conflicts with fascist leaders meant he fell under close surveillance by the OVRA, the secret police. 
   
  In 1934 he won the Nobel Prize but asked that the medal be melted down for Italy’s occupation of Abyssinia Campaign to which he had given his support.  
   
  Pirandello's canon stretches across novels, short stories, poetry, essays and some 40 plays.  His tragic farces are often cited as forerunners of the Theatre of the Absurd. 
   
  Luigi Pirandello died on the 10th December 1936 at his home at Via Bosio, Rome, Italy.  He was 69.

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  Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge An

  Ambrose Bierce

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  Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914) was an American author and Civil War veteran.  An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a short story set during the American Civil War, and is considered Bierce's finest work.

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  The Mirror Crack'd from Side to...

  Agatha Christie

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  In Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, a fatal dose of poison meant for a glamorous movie star fells her ardent admirer instead—and Miss Marple is there to unmask a murderer. 
  One minute, silly Heather Babcock had been babbling on at her movie idol, the glamorous Marina Gregg. The next, Heather suffered a massive seizure, poisoned by a deadly cocktail. 
  It seems likely that the cocktail was intended for the beautiful actress. But while the police fumble to find clues, Miss Marple begins to ask her own questions, because as she knows—even the most peaceful village can hide dark secrets.

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