Pentsamenduaren dinamita-kartutxo gisa darabil aforismoa Igerabidek, bere aleetako batean Nietzscheri leporatzen dion bezala. Dinamita ez baita beti suntsitzailea, eraikuntzaren lehen urratsa ere izan ohi da. Baina ez bakarrik dinamita gisa. Luma leun ferekatzaile ere bihurtzen zaio tarteka. Edo ezten zorrotz. Edota gogoa goratzeko hegal. Inoiz zirto umoretsu… Beti irakurlearen bidaide.

Noiz arte arrazoi

Col·lecció de relats de l'escriptor barceloní Ricard Ruiz Garzón, que conté algunes de les històries aparegudes en antologies i diversos mitjans de la seva carrera. Sectes que promulguen llenguatges telepàtics nascuts d'un silenci sense llengua, personatges alienats que posen en dubte els absurds de les nostres rutines diàries, realitats passades pel filtre dels relats d'Edgar Allan Poe, realitats alternatives on admetre la condició d'heterosexual significa enfrontar-se a la societat sencera... Ricard Ruiz Garzón és un escriptor nascut a Barcelona el 1973. Compagina la literatura amb la seva tasca com a columnista i professor de l'Màster en Edició de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra. La seva obra abasta la ficció fantàstica, la juvenil i l'assaig, així com la coordinació d'antologies literàries com Demà encara, Insòlites o Risc. La seva obra li ha valgut diversos premis, entre ells el Mirades 2006 per Les veus de l'laberint o el Edebé per La immortal.

Short Stories

Contes i relats de Ricard Ruiz Garzón

La soledat té arestes punxegudes, cares fosques o lluminoses, però també és l’àmbit des d’on es té la necessitat, potser l’obligació i tot, de donar respostes a tot el que ha estat i és la vida, i també al que hauria pogut estar. Els protagonistes d’aquests deu relats, gràcies a la destresa argumental i narrativa de Mercè Foradada, es miren al mirall amb ànims ben diversos: la dolçor d’una vellesa assumida, l’aspror d’un desengany que no s’accepta, l’amargor del rebuig, l’enveja del prepotent, la rebel·lia de qui vol ser recordat, la creativitat de l’inconformista o l’aïllament d’una sequoia de Califòrnia que ha pujat massa amunt. Un llibre de narracions que toquen la realitat, unes històries en què la quotidianitat i l’experiència busquen l’equilibri entre el que és rellevant i el que és prescindible, entre la transcendència i el valor de la senzillesa. Deu punts de vista, deu aproximacions a l’impuls de seleccionar el que convé preservar perquè sempre continuï existint. Mercè Foradada (Villanueva y Geltrú, Barcelona; 1947) es una escritora española que ejerció durante su vida profesional de profesora de lengua catalana.2​ En su corpus creativo, los personajes principales son mujeres. Su primera obra publicada fue En el prestatge y se editó en 2002, después de ganar el premio Don.na 2001 con la novela.​ Esta primera obra, según reconoció la autora, tiene algunos rasgos autobiográficos y aborda la figura de una mujer que tiene que enfrentarse a un cambio en su vida tras superar los 50 años.​ Posteriormente, en 2003, publicó su obra narrativa Velles, amb V de vida con edicions 62 y profundiza en los recuerdos de la vida de diez ancianas.

Com una reina

Explicar històries i menjar: els dos plaers més vells del món, a més de l'altre que compartim amb les bèsties. ¿O potser les bèsties també s'expliquen històries? Les vint-i-set que hi ha dins Aliment van plenes de preguntes. I Martí Sales no viu al Paradís, però com Eva queixala la poma per curiositat i per fam. I tampoc no és Xahrazad, però podria passar-se tres anys explicant històries a un califa pel pur plaer d'explicar-les. El seu llibre és l'abecedari d'un voluptuós i neix del buit que anticipa el desig —el que fa que salivem per una truita a la francesa. "Entre l'amor i la cuina, entre la lectura i les amistats detonants aterrava les troballes en entrades de diccionari de tota mena i llargada, i així es va anar fent Aliment, amb xup-xup i socarraet mentre casa nostra s'omplia de l'olor ancestral del pa enfornat. Si com deia Boeci el futur és un invent dels enamorats, també aquest diccionari."

Aliment

«Personatges perversos i desafectes, els dels contes de Quim Monzó, dotat jove escriptor català… Monzó ha llegit Kafka… i beu també de la rica tradició del surrealisme espanyol, tant pel seu sentit deliberadament paranoic de l'amenaça en coses aparentment habituals… com per saber mantenir la qualitat de la seva imaginació, intermitentment lírica i visionària». The New York Times, Nova York «Quim Monzó és reconegut com una de les veus més provocatives de l'actual literatura europea… Els contes de Monzó són els millors que s'han produït a Europa en l'última dècada, un sentiment amb el qual els americans coneixedors de la narrativa estrangera hi estaran, sens dubte, d'acord». World Literature Today, Oklahoma

Mínima Minor

Olivetti, Moulinex, Chaffoteaux et Maury

Estem en contra és un recull de relats d'humor que observa la vida i les situacions quotidianes del dia a dia des de la sàtira. A través de situacions absurdes de personatges curiosos, en Xavier Gual presenta la nostra realitat com una sèrie de disbarats inesperats i molt còmics. Al cap i a la fi, que és més humà que estar en contra d'alguna cosa, encara que sigui en contra dels que estan en contra? Xavier Gual (Barcelona, 1973) és escriptor i periodista, llicenciat en filologia catalana a la Universitat de Barcelona. Les seves històries, siguin curtes o llargues, estan carregades de sarcasme i d'un humor àcid molt característic de l'autor. Ha publicat reculls de contes i diverses novel·les de narrativa adulta, policíaca i novel·la juvenil. Ha guanyat diversos premis, entre ells el Premi Mercè Rodoreda, el Premi Ribera d'Ebre o el Premi Pere Quart. Els seus llibres han estat traduïts a diversos idiomes, entre ells l'italià i el francès.

Estem en contra

Manual per a dones de fer feines és una tria dels millors contes de Lucia Berlin, una autora poc reconeguda en vida que ara està rebent, per fi, l'atenció que es mereix. Els relats, gairebé sempre autobiogràfics, constitueixen un retrat de les angoixes i aventures de l'autora, que va afrontar sempre la seva vida convulsa i complicada amb alegria i bon humor. Cada conte és una mirada lúcida sobre la fragilitat humana, tots destil·len una comprensió profunda del caràcter femení i en copsen magistralment les febleses, fortaleses i particularitats sense impostures ni solemnitat. El conjunt és d'una autenticitat i una candidesa desarmants, uns contes vitals i lluminosos que tenen la força de Raymond Carver, l'humor de Grace Paley i una mescla d'enginy i malenconia purament marca de la casa. Berlin extreu miracles de la vida de cada dia i troba escenes elegants i memorables a les bugaderies de barri, les vivendes per a expresidiaris del sud dels Estats Units, les cases de la gent adinerada de Bay Area, o entre operadores i mares que van de bòlit per arribar a final de mes. Recomanem la lectura d'aquest llibre a totes les dones de totes les edats i cultures del món, i el receptem a tots els homes de la terra com a lectura obligatòria per a la seva educació sentimental.

Manual per a dones de fer feines

Carlota Gurt, més Gurt que mai «Carlota Gurt és literatura i coratge en expansió permanent». Anna Carreras, Ara «Biografia del foc, el nou recull de contes de Carlota Gurt, fa gala d'un talent consolidat ». Adrià Pujol, El País - Quadern «Gurt sempre aconsegueix que els textos estiguin vius sense perdre l'elegància de les metàfores ni la riquesa lèxica». Carlota Rubio, Núvol «L'autora mai no ens dona el que esperem, sinó que va més enllà». Andreu Gomila, Time Out La realitat és imprevisible i acostuma a tirar per terra els futurs que imaginem. Vivim a les fosques. ¿Quines conseqüències tindran les nostres decisions?Biografia del foc ens parla d'aquesta incertesa terrorífica i alhora plena de possibilitats. Per les seves pàgines hi desfilen herois de l'angoixa i esclaus de l'amor, mares moribundes, personatges que no saben on van ni com hi arribaran. Carlota Gurt ha creat un autèntic retaule de les relacions humanes, des de l'enamorament més fulgurant fins al ressentiment més agre. Hi trobarem allaus i vides calcinades, però també mons prodigiosos sorgits de la destrucció. Alternant entre la ironia i un to gairebé confessional, l'autora ens convida a entrar en el seu univers amb una prosa addictiva i una llengua vivíssima que atrapen el lector i no el deixen anar.

A TOT VENT

Biografia del foc

«Una exploració de les capes freàtiques del jo. Aquests contes reforcen la convicció que les forces centrals de la persona solen trobar-se en la mal anomenada perifèria.» Lluís Muntada Els personatges d'aquests relats mostren el ventall d'emocions a les quals és capaç d'abocar-se l'ésser humà quan se sent contrariat i es col·loca, a vegades, en aquella fina línia que separa l'enteresa del ridícul. A Morir sabent poques coses hi ha dols que comencen arran de morts prematures, desenganys amorosos, revoltes individuals, reptes, desconcert i alguna porta oberta a l'esperança. Joan Enric Barceló teixeix un univers comú d'una llibertat creativa sense límits, on la inversemblança i el patetisme conviuen amb la fatalitat i l'estranyesa. Aquests textos, afilats i perspicaços, mostren la gran capacitat de l'autor per observar el comportament humà en tota la seva complexitat. Marta Orriols — «Mitjançant la brillant torrentada existencial dels seus personatges, Barceló ens atrapa dins d'un corpus narratiu singular que eixampla les possibilitats de la imaginació davant de la mort, que, d'una manera insòlita i amb una ironia lúcida, aquí sempre és sinònim de vida. Celebro enormement l'estrena literària d'aquest observador voraç de les petiteses humanes.»

Escafandre

Morir sabent poques coses

Cavalcar tota la nit és avançar a les fosques cap a unes fronteres que semblen inabastables, però que no sempre ho són. Cavalcar tota la nit és no defallir i perseguir la lluna, infatigables. Cavalcar tota la nit és no tenir por de combatre la foscor que portem a dins ni la que ens ve de fora. Personatges que podrien ser el teu veí, la teva filla, la teva verdulaire o tu mateix protagonitzen aquest recull fent malabars amb l'amor que se'ls marceix als dits, la vida que se'ls emporta i el deure que els colga. Són uns contes amb dosis tonificants d'humor i de mala bava, que desperten somriures, però també desassossec. Carlota Gurt narra aquest audiollibre i ens fa creuar l'abisme de la llibertat per una corda fluixa trenada amb desitjos i pors. Un debut literari impetuós i carregat de talent. Amb la col·laboració de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament de Cultura.

Cavalcarem tota la nit

The fourteen short stories in To Cut a Long Story Short show Jeffrey Archer’s great skills with a wide variety of character, of subject and of setting, but all with that trademark twist in the tale. Every reader will have their own favourites: the choices run from love at first sight across the train tracks to the cleverest of confidence tricks, from the quirks of the legal profession – and those who are able to manipulate both sides of the Bar – to the creative financial talents of a member of Her Majesty’s diplomatic service – but for a good cause. The last story, The Grass is Always Greener, is possibly the best piece Archer has written, and will haunt you for the rest of your life. Jeffrey Archer is a bestselling British author and former politician. He was educated at Oxford and went on to become a Member of Parliament, the deputy chair of the Conservative Party as well as sitting in the House of Lords. His political career ended in scandal and he turned to writing and he has been published in over 275 million copies worldwide. He is perhaps most famous for the "Clifton Chronicles" and his blockbuster "Kane and Abel" which was number one on the New York Time’s Bestseller list and inspired a popular miniseries starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill. After he was imprisoned for perjury in 2001, he wrote his highly acclaimed non-fiction series, Prison Diaries – "Hell", "Purgatory" and "Heaven" – which were inspired by his experiences and loosely structured around Dante’s Divine Comedy.

To Cut a Long Story Short

Venture beyond the familiar and discover the fragile line between tranquility and turmoil in 12 gripping and unnerving short stories, masterfully crafted by Tove Jansson. From a professor stranded in a picturesque Spanish village to a holiday in Finland disrupted by an intrusive child, each tale unravels the unsettling facets of journeys that veer off course. Brilliantly evoking the shifting scenes and restlessness of summer, "Travelling Light" is guaranteed to surprise. © 2024 Tove Jansson, Moomin Characters™ Published in the English language by arrangement with Rights & Brands Finnish-Swedish writer and artist Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is globally cherished for creating the Moomin universe. Born in Helsinki, her tales of the Moomins captivated readers worldwide. Beyond Moominvalley, she penned profound adult novels, most notably "The Summer Book".

Travelling Light

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. An overlooked middle daughter destined to be a spinster. A handsome rejected naval officer. A family on the brink of financial ruin. Anne Elliot has never forgotten about the man to whom she was persuaded out of an engagement by her family. When he returns to Anne's life eight years later, will she be able to secure a second chance? Narrated by the incredible Prunella Scales, Persuasion is a story of missed opportunities, of family and class systems, love and heartache.

Argo Classics

Persuasion

Youth is a science fiction short novel by Isaac Asimov and one of the rare Asimov stories with alien characters. Slim is a boy whose astronomer father is visiting the country estate of an important industrialist. The industrialist's son, Red, has found two strange animals, and he enlists Slim in a plan to turn the animals into a circus act. The astronomer, meanwhile, tells the industrialist that he has been in contact with space aliens who want to open up their world to interstellar trade. Their world needs help, the astronomer says; for ever since the atomic wars that destroyed their old civilization, their world has been regressing. Unless something is done, their culture may face total collapse. Youth first appeared in the May 1952 issue of Space Science Fiction and was reprinted in the 1955 collection The Martian Way and Other Stories. AUDIO: Read by Gregg Margarite, running Time 1 hour, 6 min. Unabridged full version. Also available as e-book (ePUB). Length 10,400 words, average reading time 50 min. Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books.

Youth

'A beautiful book: funny, honest, revealing, heartfelt and moving' - Adam Kay, bestselling author of This is Going to Hurt' 'Vital, heartfelt and surprising, these tales from a life are told with humour, style and intelligence.' - Graham Norton 'A wonderful memoir by a glorious writer: funny, poignant, profound. I gobbled it up in one joyous sitting.' - Elizabeth Day 'An absolute jewel of a book. Gloriously readable, hilarious, painful, acute, sharply recalled and vividly brought to life' - Stephen Fry A dazzling 'tell-most' memoir: poignant and laugh-out-loud funny scenes from the life of actor Minnie Driver. I love stories. I have mostly told other people's but now, in telling my own, I realize how all our stories are connected by that great leveller of acclaim, loss, fortitude, and fortune: being human. When I look at my life from the alleged halfway point, some patterns are revealed: one, that the story does not necessarily begin or end where it should; two, happy endings are overrated. And three, happy endings are almost never the end. This book is memoir-ish. A tell-most. Largely because there's a lot I don't remember, and a lot that's not worth talking about. So, this is a collection of stories about how things not working out - worked out in the end. How reaching for the dream is easily more interesting, expansive, sad and funny than the dream itself coming true. I really hope you enjoy it. Love, Minnie x

Managing Expectations

Delve into a world of change and reinvention. Where relationships are as delicate as turtle eggs, and just as easily smashed. This poignant short story collection explores the pivotal moments that transform our lives. Jenny, whose life is defined by small disasters, discovers a bigger, more generous version of herself. A traveller girl might just win her race and alter her life's course. A widow, cut off in a riverside backwater, opens her heart to a stranger. In this captivating collection by award-winning writer, Alice Fowler, readers will be moved by the raw vulnerability of human connection, and the resilience that allows us to grow and thrive in the face of hardship. In change, Fowler's characters find the ability to be truly free.

The Truth Has Arms And Legs

'Set to become one of the decade's landmarks of English weird.' – Nina Allan, author of Conquest WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY ANGELA SLATTER Malcolm Devlin's debut short-fiction collection, first published in 2017, announced the arrival of a major new talent in the worlds of weird fiction and literary horror. In You Will Grow Into Them, change is the only constant. These ten stories tackle the unease of transformation, growth, and change in a world where the mundane is only a veneer hiding the darkness below. Childhood anxieties manifest as degraded doppelgängers; fungal blooms are harvested from the backs of dancers; and lycanthropes become the new social pariahs. In You Will Grow Into Them, the demons we carry inside us are very real indeed.

You Will Grow Into Them

An Illustrated Adventure in Vancouver It had always been like this in Gastown ever since Vancouver's famous clock was built. But on this day, something strange happens: the sound of the whistle stops. The hours pass and the clock remains silent. - What mystery is behind the steam clock's silence? - Will Maria be able to discover the truth? Follow Maria's investigation - uncover the mystery in this original illustrated story, inspired by the famous steam clock in Gastown, Vancouver, Canada.

Maria in Vancouver

“Raw and searching...Taddeo returns with more ruthless explorations of the feminine mystique.” —Entertainment Weekly, “The Best New Books of the Month” * “Provocative.” —Los Angeles Times From the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Three Women and “our most eloquent and faithful chronicler of human desire” (Esquire), comes an electrifying collection of nine fearless and ferocious short stories. Behind anonymous screens, an army of cool and beautiful girls manage the dating service Ghost Lover, a forwarding system for text messages that promises to spare you the anguish of trying to stay composed while communicating with your crush. At a star-studded political fundraiser in a Los Angeles mansion, a trio of women compete to win the heart of the slick guest of honor. In a tense hospital waiting room, an inseparable pair of hard-partying friends crash into life’s responsibilities, but the magic of their glory days comes alive again at the moment they least expect it. In these nine riveting stories—which include two Pushcart Prize winners and a finalist for the National Magazine Award—Lisa Taddeo brings to life the fever of obsession, the blindness of love, and the mania of grief. Featuring Taddeo’s arresting prose that continues to thrill her legions of fans, Ghost Lover dares you to look away.

Ghost Lover

The book that inspired the new Netflix series, "Lupin" with Omar Sy. "The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar" is the first collection of stories about the infamous thief, Arsene Lupin. Cunning, charming, and roguishly good-looking, Lupin leads the French police department on a merry dance across Belle Epoque Paris in these adventure-filled mysteries. Evading the authorities, getting the girl and usually pocketing some rare jewel for himself, Arsene Lupin's adventures will keep readers of all ages on the edge of their seats. Perfect for fans of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allan Poe's C. Auguste Dupin. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, soaring to the top of the iTunes charts. He masterfully breathes life back into literary classics and plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has produced over 500 audiobooks. His productions of P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves series and Shakespeare's Hamlet are regularly seen at the top of audiobook charts. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous stories is available to readers everywhere. Maurice Leblanc was a French author during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. He lived in Paris during the Belle Epoque, and his literary legacy consists of novels and short stories. Though he wrote two well-received science fiction books, he was most famous for his gentleman thief adventure series, Arsene Lupin. Thought to be based on the life of anarchist Marius Jacob, who had a very public trial in 1905, Lupin is a whip-smart, witty, and roguishly handsome master of disguise. Leblanc was compared to Arthur Conan Doyle throughout his career, and he even wrote a series of novellas where Lupin is introduced to and subsequently outwits the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Arsene Lupin has inspired many spin-offs including the hugely successful Japanese manga series "Lupin III" and a new Netflix series "Lupin" starring Omar Sy.

Arsene Lupin: Now on Netflix!

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar

The Jungle Book (1894) is a collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling. The tales in the book and also those in The Second Jungle Book which followed in 1895, and which includes five further stories about Mowgli, are fables, using animals in an anthropomorphic manner to give moral lessons. The verses of The Law of the Jungle, for example, lay down rules for the safety of individuals, families and communities. Kipling put in them nearly everything he knew or "heard or dreamed about the Indian jungle." Other readers have interpreted the work as allegories of the politics and society of the time. The best-known of them are the three stories revolving around the adventures of an abandoned "man cub" Mowgli who is raised by wolves in the Indian jungle. The most famous of the other stories are probably "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", the story of a heroic mongoose, and "Toomai of the Elephants", the tale of a young elephant-handler. As with much of Kipling's work, each of the stories is preceded by a piece of verse, and succeeded by another. Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. He was born in Bombay, in the Bombay Presidency of British India, and was taken by his family to England when he was five years old. Kipling is best known for his works of fiction, including The Jungle Book (a collection of stories which includes "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"), Just So Stories (1902), Kim (a tale of adventure) (1901), many short stories, including "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888); and his poems, including "Mandalay" (1890), "Gunga Din" (1890), "The White Man's Burden" (1899) and "If—" (1910). He is regarded as a major "innovator in the art of the short story"; his children's books are enduring classics of children's literature; and his best works are said to exhibit "a versatile and luminous narrative gift". Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and to date he remains its youngest recipient.

Svenska Ljud Classica

The Jungle Book

Belly Up is a story collection at the intersection of the real and the surreal. With the absurd always tethered to a recognisable reality, it captures the messiness of human behaviour as it ranges from the macabre to the tender, the playful to the shocking. Shapeshifting and enchantment haunt and propel these stories, as characters question the bodies they've been given and what their bodies require to be sustained: teenage girls morph into plants, gulag prisoners perform makeshift surgery and a child licks exposed electric wires, turning her tongue black. Visceral, cinematic and deeply human, Belly Up explores the simultaneous mundanity and singularity of the human condition – and reveals Rita Bullwinkel to be an audacious and original talent.

Belly Up

20-something and uncertain about her future, Florentyna Leow is exhilarated when an old acquaintance offers her an opportunity for work and cohabitation in a little house in the hills of Kyoto. Florentyna begins a new job as a tour guide, taking tourists on elaborate and expensive trips around Kyoto's cultural hotspots. Amidst the busy tourist traps and overrun temples, Florentyna develops her own personal map of the city: a favourite smoky jazz kissa; a top-shelf katsuobushi loving cat; an elderly lady named Yamaguchi-san, who shares her sweets and gives Florentyna a Japanese name. Meanwhile, her relationship with her new companion develops an intensity as they live and work together. Their little kitchen, the epicenter of their shared life, overlooks a community garden dominated by a fruitful persimmon tree. Their relationship burns bright, but seasons change, the persimmon tree out back loses its fruit, and things grow strange between the two women. How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart is a collection about the ways in which heartbreak can fill a place and make it impossible to stay.

The Emma Press Prose Pamphlets

How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart

New on audio from Stephen King...an unabridged novella"as artful as anything he has ever written." (Booklist) Climb aboard Stationary Bike -- a streamlined fever dream of a tale, in which an ordinary household object assumes otherworldly powers and a familiar journey takes a terrifying twist. When commercial artist Richard Sifkitz finally gets around to having that physical he'd been putting off for years, and his cholesterol comes back dangerously high, he does what so many thirty-something, junk food-eating couch potatoes have done before him: he buys a stationary bike, and vows to ride it regularly. Unlike many a mid-life exercise convert, however, Richard actually starts to ride his new stationary bike. A lot. Soon he's spending so much time on his bike that he decides to put his artistic talents to use and paint a mural on the wall opposite his stationary bike. But it turns out that Richard's mural is no ordinary picture -- and soon his stationary bike is taking him places he doesn't want to go...and can't stay away from. A riveting riff on artistic frustration, midlife mortality, and hard-won redemption, Stationary Bike is a thrill ride that could come only from the mind of Stephen King.

Stationary Bike

"Generous and entertaining." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay * Nominated for “Best Memoir & Autobiography” by Goodreads Choice Awards 2016 * Named a “Best Book of the Year” by New York Post "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to read it again." —TheSkimm “I'm mad Jennifer's Weiner's first book of essays is as wonderful as her fiction. You will love this book and wish she was your friend." —Mindy Kaling, author of Why Not Me? "Fiercely funny, powerfully smart, and remarkably brave." —Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild Jennifer Weiner is many things: a bestselling author, a Twitter phenomenon, and an “unlikely feminist enforcer” (The New Yorker). She’s also a mom, a daughter, and a sister, a clumsy yogini, and a reality-TV devotee. In this “unflinching look at her own experiences” (Entertainment Weekly), Jennifer fashions tales of modern-day womanhood as uproariously funny and moving as the best of Nora Ephron and Tina Fey. No subject is off-limits in these intimate and honest essays: sex, weight, envy, money, her mother’s coming out of the closet, her estranged father’s death. From lonely adolescence to hearing her six-year-old daughter say the F word—fat—for the first time, Jen dives into the heart of female experience, with the wit and candor that have endeared her to readers all over the world.

Hungry Heart

In Richmal Compton's Just William the Outlaws plan a day of non-stop adventure. The only problem is that William is meant to be babysitting. But William won't let that stop him having fun with his gang - he'll just bring the baby along! There is only one William. This tousle-headed, snub-nosed, hearty, loveable imp of mischief has been harassing his unfortunate family and delighting his hundreds of thousands of admirers since 1922. This delightful children's classic, which will bring the antics of the mischievous William Brown to a new generation of children.

Hugh Lofting Collection

Just William

A journalist and folklorist explores the truths that underlie the stories we imagine—and reveals the magic in the everyday. “I’ve always felt that the term fairy tale doesn’t quite capture the essence of these stories,” writes Emily Urquhart. “I prefer the term wonder tale, which is Irish in origin, for its suggestion of awe coupled with narrative. In a way, this is most of our stories.” In this startlingly original essay collection, Urquhart reveals the truths that underlie our imaginings: what we see in our heads when we read, how the sight of a ghost can heal, how the entrance to the underworld can be glimpsed in an oil painting or a winter storm—or the onset of a loved one’s dementia. In essays on death and dying, pregnancy and prenatal genetics, radioactivity, chimeras, cottagers, and plague, Ordinary Wonder Tales reveals the essential truth: if you let yourself look closely, there is magic in the everyday.

Ordinary Wonder Tales

From Far Around They Saw Us Burn is the eagerly awaited first short story collection from Alice Jolly, one of the most exciting and accomplished voices in British fiction today. The extraordinary range of work gathered here is united by a fascination with how everyday interactions can transform our lives in unpredictable ways. These are stories of lonely people, outcasts and misfits, and the ghosts that inhabit our intimate spaces. The result is a compelling, arresting and, at times, devastating collection - not least in the title story, which was inspired by the tragic true events of the 1943 Cavan orphanage fire. With an exemplary eye for detail and an intimate understanding of the complexities of human nature, Jolly's collection builds up towards the ultimate question: what is revealed of us when we peel away the surfaces, and is it enough?

From Far Around They Saw Us Burn (Unabridged)

A prominent American sociologist, novelist, short story writer, poet, and lecturer for social reform, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a "utopian feminist." Her vast achievements, recorded during a period of American history where such feats were quite difficult for women, cast here as a role model for women everywhere. And her unorthodox concepts and lifestyles cast her as a role model for future generations of feminists.This selection specially chosen by the literary critic August Nemo, contains the following stories:When I Was a WitchThe Yellow WallpaperIf I were a manThe Giant Wistaria The Boys And The Butter!The CottagetteA Middle Sized Artist

7 best short stories

7 best short stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Man Who Came Early is a science fiction short story by Poul Anderson first published in 1957. Anderson takes us to Iceland near the end of the tenth century and convincingly depicts a truly "alien" way of life and teaches us the tragic truth that the role of a twentieth-century timetraveler to a "primitive" culture need not necessarily be that of Prometheus the Fire-Bringer. Similar in some respects to Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the story is in fact its antithesis; Anderson sharply differs from Twain in his treatment of the "primitive" society in which the time traveller finds himself, and his assessment of a modern person's chances of survival in such a society. How rarely science-fiction writers succeed in creating a wholly alien culture may be judged from any adequate study of an earthly culture of a time or place which does not form part of our direct heritage. The Man Who Came Early was first published in the June 1956 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It was reprinted in The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sixth Series and the Anderson collection The Horn of Time. In the 2010 collection Fragile and Distant Suns, this story is included under the name Early Rise, a likely reference to the Hávamál poem. Poul William Anderson (1926-2001) was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.

The Man Who Came Early

Second Childhood is a science fiction short story by Clifford D. Simak frist published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine in 1951. Achieving immortality is only half of the problem. The other half is knowing how to live with it once it's been made possible—and inescapable! Clifford Donald Simak (1904 -1988) was an American science fiction writer. He was honored by fans with three Hugo Awards and by colleagues with one Nebula Award. The Science Fiction Writers of America made him its third SFWA Grand Master and the Horror Writers Association made him one of three inaugural winners of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Second Childhood

The magical tales in The Whispering Trees capture the essence of life, death and coincidence in Northern Nigeria. Myth and reality intertwine in stories featuring political agitators, newly-wedded widows, and the tormented whirlwind, Kyakkyawa. The two medicine men of Mazade battle against their egos, an epidemic and an enigmatic witch. And who is Okhiwo, whose arrival is heralded by a pair of little white butterflies?

The Whispering Trees

B.J. Harrison visits Edgar Allan Poe's grim horror story, "The Cask of Amontillado". Montresor is a man who has been insulted, and he does not take this lightly. Seeking revenge on the person who slighted him, Fortunato, he sets out on a terrible mission to even the score. Yet what follows is far from fair, and Fortunato is far from prepared. "The Cask of Amontillado" is a dark short story by Edgar Allan Poe dating back to the 19th century. It has been covered extensively in popular culture, and the story was turned into a British film in 1998 by the same name, starring Anton Blake. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous classics is available to readers everywhere. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic. He is considered a pioneer in the genres of detective fiction, the macabre and science fiction. His numerous short stories include the likes of "The Purloined Letter", and "The Raven" is one of his best-known poems. Edgar Allan Poe's works have been captured throughout popular culture, including films, such as Histoires extraordinaires from 1968, based on Poe's stories and directed by Federico Fellini.

The Classic Tales with B. J. Harrison

B. J. Harrison Reads The Cask of Amontillado

FINALIST FOR THE 2025 AUDIO PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION AUDIE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT STORY COLLECTION. In this collection comprising of thirteen short stories, Jansson masterfully crafts unsettling narratives that delve into unexpected connections, awkward encounters, and solitary moments From reconnecting with childhood friends in "Party Games" to exploring the theme of ageing in "Trip to the Riviera", Jansson's short story collection "Letters from Klara" beautifully and intimately depicts the human condition in all its pain and joy. © 2024 Tove Jansson, Moomin Characters™ Published in the English language by arrangement with Rights & Brands Finnish-Swedish writer and artist Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is globally cherished for creating the Moomin universe. Born in Helsinki, her tales of the Moomins captivated readers worldwide. Beyond Moominvalley, she penned profound adult novels, most notably "The Summer Book".

Letters from Klara

Published in 1902, ‘The War in South Africa’ is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s account of the Boer War. Keen to play his part, Doyle enlisted as a doctor after being turned down by the Imperial Yeomanry. Naturally skewed towards British interests and beliefs of the time, it is an account which wholly overlooks the atrocities committed by the British, and so is a less than accurate reflection of the war. A historical eyewitness account from one of the best known authors of the time. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a British author, best known as the creator of the world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Born in Edinburgh, he was educated in England and Austria before studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh. It was during his time at university that Doyle began writing short stories, submitting them to magazines and journals. His first Sherlock Holmes novel, ‘A Study in Scarlet’ was written in just three weeks and published in 1887 to favourable reviews, and more Sherlock adventures followed. By 1893, Doyle was growing tired of Sherlock and attempted to kill him off in the story ‘The Final Problem’, but public outcry caused him to resurrect the famous detective. He featured in a total of 56 short stories and four novels along with his trusty sidekick Dr Watson and made Doyle one of the best-paid authors of the time. The stories have been adapted multiple times; most recently in the successful BBC series ‘Sherlock’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Later literary works included the Professor Challenger series which began with ‘The Lost World’, in which Challenger sets out to find evidence of prehistoric life. The book inspired numerous adaptations, including the films ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Lost World’. In later life Doyle became captivated by the world of spiritualism and the occult and published non-fiction works about his beliefs including ‘The Coming of the Fairies’. Arthur Conan Doyle died at home in 1930.

The War in South Africa

The Canterville Ghost is a short story by Oscar Wilde. A modern American family moves into an English stately home - Canterville Chase. It turns out to be a traditionally drafty and very haunted English mansion, complete with the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville - blood-stains, clanking chains and all. In this castle the crusty old ghost has a tough time convincing the family he exists and cannot even succeed in frightening them. This is extremely frustrating of course to him and as the protagonist of the story, the ghost takes matters (and non-matters) into his hands to deal with the upstart and irreverent new tenants. The Canterville Ghost, was the first of Wilde's stories to be published and appeared in two parts in The Court and Society Review, in February and March 1887. E-Book, ePUB, length 11,700 words, average reading time 1 hour. Unabridged full version. Also available as audiobook read by James K. White, running time 1 hour, 9 min.

The Canterville Ghost

In Not to Read, Alejandro Zambra outlines his own particular theory of reading that also offers a kind of blurry self-portrait, or literary autobiography. Whether writing about Natalia Ginzburg, typewriters and computers, Paul Léautaud, or how to be silent in German, his essays function as a laboratory for his novels, a testing ground for ideas, readings and style. Not to Read also presents an alternative pantheon of Latin American literature – Zambra would rather talk about Nicanor Parra than Pablo Neruda, Mario Levrero than Gabriel García Márquez. His voice is that of a trusted friend telling you about a book or an author he's excited about, how he reads, and why he writes. A standard-bearer of his generation in Chile, with Not to Read Alejandro Zambra confirms he is one of the most engaging writers of our time.

Not to Read

The Beast in the Jungle is a novella written by the famous writer Henry James. This story treats of loneliness, fate, love and death. The parable of John Marcher and his peculiar destiny has spoken to many readers and induced change in many lives. John Marcher is reacquainted with May Bartram, a woman he knew ten years earlier while living in southern Italy, who remembers his odd secret: Marcher is seized with the belief that his life is to be defined by some catastrophic or spectacular event, lying in wait for him like a "beast in the jungle". Will John accept to let this woman be close to him, or will his belief prevail ? This edition will please all lovers of classic literature.

The Beast in the Jungle

A wide-ranging collection of reflective essays, to mark the centenary of the conflict that changed the world. In this collection of essays, ten leading writers from different countries consider the conflicts that have informed their own literary lives. 1914-Goodbye to All That borrows its title from Robert Graves's "bitter leave-taking of England" in which he writes not only of the First World War but the questions it raised: how to live, how to live with each other, and how to write. Interpreting this title as broadly and ambiguously as Graves intended, these essays mark the War's centenary by reinvigorating these questions. The book includes Elif Shafak on an inheritance of silence in Turkey, Ali Smith on lost voices in Scotland, Xiaolu Guo on the 100,000 Chinese sent to the Front, Daniel Kehlmann on hypnotism in Berlin, Colm Toibin on Lady Gregory losing her son fighting for Britain as she fought for an independent Ireland, Kamila Shamsie on reimagining Karachi, Erwin Mortier on occupied Belgium's legacy of shame, NoViolet Bulawayo on Zimbabwe and clarity, Ales Steger on resisting history in Slovenia, and Jeanette Winterson on what art is for. Contributors include: Ali Smith - Scotland Ales Steger - Slovenia Jeanette Winterson - England Elif Shafak - Turkey NoViolet Bulawayo - Zimbabwe Colm Toibin - Ireland Xiaolu Guo - China Erwin Mortier - Belgium Kamila Shamsie - Pakistan Daniel Kehlmann - Germany 'Tender, compassionate humanity' Peter Conrad, Observer 'A global gathering of essayists here reimagine the war from a variety of vantage points' Guardian 'This superb collection of essays by some of today's leading writers stands out among the many books commissioned to mark the centenary of the First World War.' The Lady Lavinia Greenlaw's poetry includes The Casual Perfect and A Double Sorrow: Troilus and Criseyde. Other works include The Importance of Music to Girls and Questions of Travel: William Morris in Iceland. She was the first artist-in-residence at the Science Museum, and received the Ted Hughes Award for her sound work Audio Obscura. Her work for BBC radio includes documentaries about Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson, the darkest place in England and Arctic light.

1914—Goodbye to All That

Winner of the Fingerprint Award for Thriller of the Year THE NEW CAUTIONARY TALE OF OBSESSION, LOVE, JEALOUSY AND DECEPTION FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUR HOUSE AND THE OTHER PASSENGER Wrong time. Wrong place. Wrong man. Alex lives a comfortable life with his wife Beth in the leafy suburb of Silver Vale. Fine, so he’s not the most sociable guy on the street, he prefers to keep himself to himself, but he’s a good husband and an easy-going neighbour. That’s until Beth announces the creation of a nature trail on a local site that’s been disused for decades and suddenly Alex is a changed man. Now he’s always watching. Questioning. Struggling to hide his dread . . . As the landscapers get to work, a secret threatens to surface from years ago, back in Alex’s twenties when he got entangled with a seductive young woman called Marina, who threw both their lives into turmoil. And who sparked a police hunt for a murder suspect that was never quite what it seemed. It still isn’t. No one else could have done it. Could they? ‘The best Louise Candlish novel yet’ Lisa Jewell 'I'm blown away by how good it is. A gripping tale of love, secrets and deception - it's the best psychological thriller I've read in a long time' Mark Edwards

The Only Suspect

"Imperialism: The Final Stage of Capitalism" by Vladimir Lenin is a foundational Marxist text that explores the economic and political dynamics of imperialism in the early 20th century. Originally published in 1917, this work was a response to the global geopolitical landscape of the time and sought to analyze the nature of imperialism as the highest stage of capitalist development. Lenin argues that imperialism represents a new and advanced form of capitalism characterized by the domination of finance capital, the export of capital to foreign territories, the formation of monopolies, and the intensification of international rivalries. He contends that imperialist powers engage in the exploitation of colonies and less developed nations for resources and markets, leading to economic and political subjugation. The text also addresses the impact of imperialism on class relations and the working class movement. Lenin contends that imperialism intensifies the contradictions of capitalism, creating conditions ripe for proletarian revolution. "Imperialism" remains a significant Marxist analysis that has influenced subsequent discussions on global economics, geopolitics, and anti-colonial struggles. While primarily an economic and political treatise, Lenin's work provides key insights into the intersection of economic power, politics, and class struggle during the imperialist era.

Imperialism: The Final Stage of Capitalism

In Manhattan, an elderly lawyer's business is growing. Having two scriveners in his employ, the lawyer advertises for a third to meet demand. Enter Bartleby, a glum albeit quality scrivener. However, the lawyer quickly discovers that something is off with his new employee. When asked to perform any duties outside of copywriting, Bartleby responds with a canned 'I would prefer not to.' Soon Bartleby is living at the office and performing less and less at work. Finally fed up with his strange new scrivener, the lawyer asks Bartleby to leave, only to find himself on the receiving end of yet another 'I would prefer not to.'

Bartleby, the Scrivener

Essayistic inquiries come together into a sustained meditation on writers and their works, on the spaces of reading and writing fiction, and how these spaces take shape inside a life. In A Horse at Night, Amina Cain contemplates how to be honest, open and free, as a person and a writer, even (and perhaps especially) during a time of great change. She moves elegantly through a personal canon of authors – including Marguerite Duras, Elena Ferrante and Annie Ernaux – and topics as timely and various as female friendships, neighbourhood coyotes, landscape painting and the politics of excess, to profound and joyous effect. An individual reckoning with the contemporary moment and a quietly brilliant contribution to the lineage of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own or William H. Gass's On Being Blue, A Horse at Night is a virtuosic argument for – and beautiful demonstration of – the essential unity of writing and life. 'An exceptional book, a work of depth and elegance, with Amina Cain's bright intelligence threaded into its very seams. An exquisite creation.' Doireann Ni Ghriofa

A Horse at Night

Two gripping novellas from the No.1 international bestselling authorWomen Without MercyIngrid gave up her career to support her husband. Now he’s having an affair. Birgitta is avoiding the doctor. No one can see the bruises her husband leaves. Victoria left Russia to marry a man she met online. But he is nothing like she imagined. Maybe the only way out is to commit three perfect murders… Truth or DareBest friends Liv, Martina, Max and Anton are spending New Year’s Eve together. But each of them is keeping a terrible secret. When a game of truth or dare takes a dark turn, the shocking truth emerges. Not everyone will live to see the chime of midnight… To avoid disappointment, please note that these two novellas have been previously published separately

Sweet Revenge

'The chance to join "the Revival of the Great Lucia Berlin"' New York Times 'Raw, elliptical, devilishly funny tales' Observer Ranging from Texas, to Chile, to New Mexico and New York, in Evening in Paradise Berlin writes about the good, the bad and everything in between: struggling young mothers, husbands who pack their bags and leave in the middle of the night, wives looking back at their first marriage from the distance of their second . . . The publication of A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin’s dazzling collection of short stories, marked the rediscovery of a writer whose talent had gone unremarked by many. The incredible reaction to Lucia’s writing – her ability to capture the beauty and ugliness that coexist in everyday lives, the extraordinary honesty and magnetism with which she draws on her own history to breathe life into her characters – included calls for her contribution to American literature to be as celebrated as that of Raymond Carver. Evening in Paradise is a careful selection from Lucia Berlin’s remaining stories – a jewel-box follow-up for her hungry fans.

Evening in Paradise

Ernest Hemingway's Winner Take Nothing contains fourteen stories of varying length. Some of them have appeared in magazines but the majority have not been published before. The characters and backgrounds are widely varied. Some stories included are “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” a story about one man’s night in a café; “Homage to Switzerland” concerns various conversations at a Swiss railway-station restaurant; “The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio” is laid in the accident ward of a hospital in Western United States; and so on. Ernest Hemingway made his literary start as a short-story writer. He has always excelled in that medium, and this volume reveals him at his best.

Winner Take Nothing

Classic short stories from a master of American fiction exploring relationships, war, and sportsmanship. First published in 1927, Men Without Women represents some of Hemingway’s most important and compelling early writing. In these fourteen stories, Hemingway begins to examine the themes that would occupy his later works: the casualties of war, the often-uneasy relationship between men and women, sports and sportsmanship. “In Another Country” tells of an Italian major recovering from war wounds as he mourns the untimely death of his wife. “The Killers” is the hard-edged story about two Chicago gunmen and their potential victim. Nick Adams makes an appearance in “Ten Indians,” in which he is presumably betrayed by his girlfriend, Prudence. And “Hills Like White Elephants” is a young couple’s subtle, heart-wrenching discussion about the future. Pared down, gritty, and subtly expressive, these stories show the young Hemingway emerging as one of America’s finest short story writers.

Men without Women

Wish You Were Dead is a Quick Read short story from bestselling author Peter James. Roy Grace and his family have left Sussex behind for a week’s holiday in France. The website promised a grand house, but when they arrive the place is very different from the pictures. And it soon becomes clear that their holiday nightmare is only just beginning. An old enemy of Roy, a lowlife criminal he had put behind bars, is now out of jail – and out for revenge. He knows where Roy and his family have gone on holiday. Of course he does. He’s been hacking their emails – and they are in the perfect spot for him to pay Roy back . . .

Roy Grace

Wish You Were Dead: Quick Reads

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Summer and Mrs. Everything channels Shirley Jackson and Stephen King to bring us a chilling tale of an author willing to do anything to revitalize her career. Sarah Vernon has spent twenty years trying to make it as a novelist…and she’s never even come close. None of her novels has sold more than five thousand copies, and she’s never earned enough money to make fiction her full-time job. After her last disappointing publication, Sarah’s agent dumped her, and it seems like her dream is dead. Sarah vows that she’ll do anything for one last shot at the bestseller list. Enter Will Presser. Nicknamed The Viper, Will is a literary agent whose career-making reputation precedes him. A business dinner ends with a nightcap at Will’s apartment—and a night Sarah can’t remember. When she wakes up the next morning, Will says he’s got a plan to make her new book a hit. He sends Sarah off to Elder Island, a summer playground for the rich and famous that empties out between September and May, for her own personal writer’s retreat. He’s left word that Sarah needs complete privacy in order to write, and Sarah’s too bewildered and flattered by Will’s attention to do anything but pack her bags and board the ferry. Alone in an isolated mansion, Sarah’s writing has never come more easily. She spends hours each day lost in a trance, falling into the world of her story. She tries not to worry about the nightmares that plague her…or the mornings she wakes up with dirt on her feet and blood under her fingernails. ​ Everything Will Presser touches becomes a success, and, now, Will Presser has touched me, Sarah thinks. But Elder Island isn’t the pretty summer playground it seems to be, and Sarah’s going to learn that success comes at a cost, and that, whenever you sign a deal, it’s always wise to read the fine print.

Off Season

Fifteen powerful women and writers you know and love—from the pages of The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vogue, Glamour, and The Atlantic—offer captivating, intimate, and candid explorations about what it’s really like turning forty—and that the best is yet to come. The big 4-0. Like eighteen and twenty-one, this is a major and meaningful milestone our lives—especially for women. Turning forty is a poignant doorway between youth and...what comes after; a crossroads to reflect on the roads taken and not, and the paths yet before you. The decade that follows is ripe for nostalgia, inspiration, wisdom, and personal growth. In this dazzling collection, fifteen writers explore this rich phase in essays that are profound, moving, and above all, brimming with joie de vivre. With a diverse array of voices—including Veronica Chambers, Meghan Daum, Kate Bolick, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Sloane Crosley, KJ Dell’Antonia, Julie Klam, Jessica Lahey, Catherine Newman, Sujean Rim, Jena Schwartz, Sophfronia Scott, Allison Winn Scotch, Lee Woodruff, and Jill Kargman—On Being 40(ish) offers a range of universal themes—friendship, independence, sex, beauty, aging, wisdom, and the passage of time. On Being 40(ish) reflects the hopes, fears, challenges, and opportunities of a generation. Beautifully designed, this is “a must read for anyone 40ish or beyond...Like a pep talk from your big sister, favorite cousin, and wise best friend” (Joanna Goddard, Cup of Jo).

On Being 40(ish)

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