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“Would Julia of Strobazzo’s heart was reeking on my dagger!” From the asthmatic urgency of its opening abduction scene to the Satanic defiance of the villain’s departure “with a wild convulsive laugh of exulting revenge”, this first of Shelley’s Gothic novelettes recycles much sensational boyhood reading and also points to some of his more mature concerns. It is the ego-driven pursuit of passionate extremes, revenge included, which consigns figures like Zastrozzi and the murderous Matilda to an isolation which is socially destructive as well as self-annihilating. The story of their downfall is related in a relentlessly hysterical style – possibly more easily enjoyed when read aloud! (Summary by Martin Geeson)...

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Fiction, Horror/Ghost stories, Tragedy

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Carl Stanton is an invalid suffering from an unusual bout of rheumatism. His fiancée is gone for the winter and though he begs her to write to help ease his boredom and pain she is stingy with her letters. She sends him what she calls a ridiculous circular which she states is very apropos of his sentimental passion for letters. In a sudden fit of mischief, malice and rheumatism, Carl decides to respond to the circular which results in bringing about the necessary distraction in a flurry of letters that do ease Carl’s boredom and pain but also bring him something else that he never quite expected. ( Summary by wikisource )...

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Fiction, Humor

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E. F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia series, consists of six novels and three short stories. The novels are: Queen Lucia, Lucia in London, Miss Mapp (including the short story The Male Impersonator), Mapp and Lucia, Lucia's Progress (published as The Worshipful Lucia in the U.S.) and Trouble for Lucia. Most of these works are set in the fictional village of Tilling, which is based on the village of Rye, Sussex, England. Mallards, the house with the garden room inhabited by Miss Mapp, and later by Lucia, is based on Lamb House, Benson's own home in Rye. Earlier, the house was the Sussex home of writer Henry James. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Karen Merline.)...

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Fiction, Humor, Satire

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Professor Lidenbrock ontcijfert een runentekst: ”Daal af in den krater van den Sneffels Yocul (Snæfellsjökull), dien de schaduw van den Scartaris treft vóór den eersten Juli, vermetele reiziger! en gij zult het middelpunt der aarde bereiken. Ik heb het gedaan. Arne Saknussemm.” De professor, zijn neefje Axel en de ingehuurde gids Hans gaan op pad. This is the Dutch translation of the book: Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne....

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Adventure, Fiction

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In the northern outreaches of the Canadian wilderness, it was understood that the Hudson Bay Company governed all trading, and one factor named Galen Albret took his position seriously. Free traders, or those who dared try to do their trading outside of the Company, found themselves having to face Galen Albret and his methods of dealing with them. One or two offenses he might tolerate, but for those who repeatedly refuse to acknowledge his warning out, he would send them on “La Longue Traverse” through the wilderness without supplies, and from which they seldom returned. Ned Trent was one such free trader who defied both the Company and Galen Albret. The defining difference between Ned and the other free traders however, was his youth, energy, and good looks, which the Factor’s daughter did not fail to recognize. What follows the initial confrontations between Ned, Galen Albret, and his daughter Virginia makes for a thrilling tale of adventure, daring, survival, and romance. Conjuror’s House was twice made into silent films titled “The Call of the North”, the first being Cecil B. DeMille’s first film in which he received solo direct...

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Adventure, Fiction

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Rosalie is the daughter of a traveling theater master and is envied by many young girls as she appears to live a life full of glamour, glitz, and glory. But beneath the happy smiling face is a hurting heart, a deep sorrow for her dying mother, and a wretched life. Follow Rosalie as she learns of the Good Shepherd who loves and cares for her, and begins to trust Him for daily strength. (Summary by Abigail Rasmussen)...

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Fiction, Religion, Teen/Young adult

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Emma is a comic novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1816, about the perils of misconstrued romance. The main character, Emma Woodhouse, is described in the opening paragraph as handsome, clever, and rich but is also rather spoiled. Prior to starting the novel, Austen wrote, I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like....

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Fiction, Comedy, Romance

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Michael Strogoff wordt door de tsaar gevraagd een boodschap naar diens broer, de grootvorst van het veraf gelegen Irkoetsk, te brengen. Hij krijgt een brief mee en de instructie zich aan niemand bekend te maken. Daaraan houdt hij zich stipt, zelfs tegenover zijn oude moeder, die in Omsk woont en hem op doortocht daar herkent. Dat is het begin van grote moeilijkheden. Gelukkig heeft de koerier hulp in de vorm van een jong meisje, Nadia, dat onderweg verliefd op hem is geworden. (samenvatting naar Wikipedia) This is a Dutch translation of the book: Michael Strogoff or, The Courier of the Czar by Jules Verne....

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Adventure, Fiction

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May Wedderburn is a quiet provincial girl, living in small and seemingly boring Skernford. Underneath the dull exterior, there is mystery, suspicion and fear in this little town, surrounding the austere local wealthy landowner who is very interested in marrying poor May. It looks as though she will have to marry him whether she likes it or not until an unsuspected alliance is formed between her and a respected old lady. They both escape to Germany where music and excitement await them....

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Romance, Fiction, Music

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’s Short Story Collection 029: a collection of 10 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a group of members.

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Fiction, Short stories

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Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets. Oliver is led to the lair of their elderly criminal trainer Fagin, naively unaware of their unlawful activities....

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Fiction, Literature

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Under the Andes was written by Rex Stout years before his creation of the immensely popular Nero Wolfe series of novels, and while perhaps his future writing style is still blossoming, certainly his knack for weaving a fantastic tale of mystery and adventure will have most readers anxious for the next phase of adventure at every turn. The story finds two brothers and a pretty female companion on a journey which eventually takes them to a series of underground caves under the Andes of South America, where they encounter a lost tribe of Incas who have apparently survived hundreds of years oblivious of the outside world. The apparent 'king' of the tribe has become infatuated with the fair-skinned female intruder of the group and, well, suffice it to say there's a lot of action, attempted escapes, heroism, and peculiar interactions between all, reminiscent of H. Rider Haggard with a touch of Edgar Rice Burroughs. (Summary by Roger Melin)...

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Mystery, Fiction

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Ilias von Homer (vermutlich gegen Ende des 8. Jahrhunderts v. Chr.) Translated by: Johann Heinrich Voß (1751-1826) Language: German (Deutsch) Ein herrliches Epos, welches viele Erkenntnisse über die menschliche Natur beinhaltet. Gilt als das älteste erhaltene Werk der abendländischen Literatur. Voß übersetzte das den Streit zwischen Agamemnon und Achilleus im Trojanischen Krieg erzählende Werk 1793 aus dem Altgriechischen ins Deutsche. (Zusammenfassung von redaer)...

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Fiction, Literature

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Illegitimacy, false identity, and bankruptcy are the major elements of Sir Walter Scott's 1816 novel, The Antiquary. Set in the period of the French Revolution, the novel's hero, Lovel, struggles to gain repute and the hand of his beloved despite his uncertain parentage. During these pursuits, he befriends the title's antiquary, Johnathan Oldbuck, who finds Lovel a captive audience to his scholarly studies and a tragic likeness to his own disappointments in love. Readers will discover whether Lovel's acts of bravery and courage ultimately earn him the birth and fortunes of a nobleman. (Summary by S. Kovalchik)...

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Fiction, Romance

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’s Short Story Collection 032: a collection of 10 short works of fiction in the public domain read by a group of members.

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Fiction, Short stories

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A reputedly wealthy and eccentric old man dies in Vermont. His home, the House of a Thousand Candles, so called for the owner's preference to candle light, is left empty save a faithful servant -- his fortune mysteriously vanished, though rumored to still have been hidden in the house somewhere. John Glenarm, the late old man's grandson, stands to inherit the estate (and so the secret fortune) under the stipulation that he live in the house for one year. If he fails, the house will be forfeited and awarded to Marian Devereaux, the niece of the nun who operates the nearby Saint Agatha's School for girls. Mister Pickering, the executor of the estate and childhood rival of John's, decides to find the hidden treasure before young Glenarm does....

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Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Romance

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The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley is the first work to feature the fictional character Zorro (zorro is the Spanish word for fox). The story was later republished under the name The Mark of Zorro. Senor Zorro is deemed an outlaw as he fights those in authority while seeking justice for the oppressed. He also woos and captures the heart of the lovely Senorita Lolita, but her father would see her married to the rich Don Diego Vega. Meanwhile, the ever persistent Sgt. Gonzales is closing in on our lovers and would means to see the end of Senor Zorro. (Summary by Barry Eads)...

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Adventure, Fiction, Romance

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Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by Charles Dickens. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets. Oliver is led to the lair of their elderly criminal trainer Fagin, naively unaware of their unlawful activities. Packed with a host of unforgettable characters this story will have you laughing and crying in turn(but mostly laughing).A must for any booklover. ( Summary by Wiki and T.Hynes )...

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Fiction, Literature

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Cattle Brands is a collection of 14 entertaining short stories depicting not only the life of cowboys in the wild, wild West, but also the harrowing skirmishes with banditos, thrilling shoot-outs, attempt at and the recapture of stolen chattel from fierce desperados, and much, much more exciting accounts that make one think it all actually happened. (Summary by Kehinde)...

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Adventure, Fiction, Westerns

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Breckinridge Elkins is the roughest, toughest, fastest-shootin', hardest-fightin' feller in the Bear Creek settlement, and probably in the entire Humbolt Mountains. As he travels further from home, he single-handedly takes on outlaws, settles (and starts) feuds and tries his hand at romancing the girls. He also discovers a lot of strange customs among other folks, such as building houses out of boards and wearing clothes that ain't buckskins. Set in Nevada during the late 1800's, this collection of stories is a great rollicking romp through the American frontier as seen through the eyes of one of the most enjoyable characters created in the history of tall tales. (Summary by RK Wilcox)...

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Westerns, Fiction, Short stories