Great Literature

This collection of wonderful stories read by John Lavelle and penned by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat will find a place on any Nate the Great fan's bookshelf.

Great Northern? is the 12th, and final, book in Arthur Ransome's acclaimed series. Once again, the children set out on an adventure (this one off the coast of Scotland) with a minimum of parental advice and interference. Here, the story centers on a desperate race to thwart the efforts of pernicious egg collectors threatening the survival of a pair of rare birds not previously known to nest in British waters.

Butterbean is bored. She and the other pets pulled off a heist once, but that was like a million years ago. Nothing exciting has happened since then. That is, until Mrs. Third Floor shows up at their apartment, convinced there's a ghost in the building. Mrs. Third Floor's rental unit is showing signs of paranormal activity—eerie noises, objects moving when no one is there, fish disappearing from the tank overnight. The pets decide to investigate. Soon they're confronted with a bigger problem than just ghosts: professional ghost hunters who are offering to drive out the spirits for a hefty fee.

Great Stories for Children is a potpourri of short stories that effectively transports the reader to the fascinating world of its endearing characters. The ensemble includes Tutu the monkey, who is fond of troubling the no-nonsense Aunt Ruby; a pet python who makes sudden appearances at the most unusual places; a troublesome Pret who enjoys stirring up the household he resides in; three young children stranded on the Haunted Hill; and Himalayan bears who feast on pumpkins, plums and apricots.

With the dragon “slayed” and corruption in the Church uprooted, Luciel returns to Yenice a hero, but a hero’s work is never done. His revolution is ambitious (too ambitious, some might say), and in the wake of change always comes resistance. As it turns out, dragons just might be the least of his worries when he realizes that the weeds he plucked might have only been a symptom of the City of Freedom’s underlying disease. Politics are a dangerous game and Luciel’s found himself stranded on the board, but is he a player or a pawn?

Alexander's beauty, strength and defiance were apparent from birth, but his boyhood honed those gifts into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion taught him trust, while Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations.

The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander's life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper.

These four novels remain classics 100 years after they were published. They not only shaped the literature of the 20th century, but they altered our views of life and reality—and what can and cannot be written about. These novels—all written a century ago—remain gripping and unforgettable. These audio versions bring their powerful narratives vividly to life for the modern listener.

Saint Weirdo returns to the Holy City, and surely a few months of peace and calm await the masochist healer back on his own turf. This time, for sure! Yeah, right. Luciel’s homecoming is less a vacation and more a pitstop on his never-ending list of responsibilities as an S-rank healer. The enigma that is Estia and her connection to the mysterious Lihzalea loom in the background, as all the while the Church continues to reel under the changes its newest S-rank brought so suddenly.

Under the Great British Baking Contest tent, the competition's heating up to be crowned Best Baker in all of Britain. For amateur baker Poppy Wilkinson, there are mysteries, secrets, and lies, even murders to solve. As a fledgling witch, Poppy's having enough trouble controlling her sponge cake, never mind trying to control her powers. Besides solving crime, Poppy's also trying to uncover the mystery surrounding her own background. Will she discover who she really is before she gets sent home? Or worse?

So begins Alexander’s extraordinary confession on the eve of his greatest crisis of leadership. By turns heroic and calculating, compassionate and utterly merciless, Alexander recounts with a warrior’s unflinching eye for detail the blood, the terror, and the tactics of his greatest battlefield victories. Whether surviving his father’s brutal assassination, presiding over a massacre, or weeping at the death of a beloved comrade-in-arms, Alexander never denies the hard realities of the code by which he lives: the virtues of war.

When that shrewd conniver, Tom, the infamous Great Brain, is sent to school in Salt Lake City, his favorite victim, J.D., figures he can step into his brother's shoes as town hustler. Nothing's wrong with his technique - it's just that he hasn't got the instincts of a real con man. But when outlaws kidnap J.D.'s four-year-old adopted brother, Frankie, J.D.'s talents find their proper inspiration. And if everybody thinks it looks like curtains for Frankie, it's because they haven't counted on what a "little brain" combined with a big heart can do.

The Man in the Brown Suit is Agatha Christie at her best, as a young woman makes a dangerous decision to investigate a shocking “accidental” death she witnesses at a London tube station. Described by the Queen of Mystery herself as one of her favorites of her published works, Crooked House is a classic Agatha Christie thriller revolving around a devastating family mystery.

Poppy Wilkinson is thrilled to be chosen as a contestant on The Great British Baking Contest. As an American with English roots, winning the crown as Britain’s Best Baker would open doors she’s dreamed of. In more ways than one. Appearing on the reality show is her chance to get into Broomewode Hall and uncover the secrets of her past. But strange things are happening on the show’s set: Accusations of sabotage, a black cat that shadows Poppy, suspiciously unsociable residents at Broomewode Hall - and the judges can be real witches.

Vampires exist. They use, abuse, and discard. If you are one of the lucky ones to survive a relationship with a vampire but are left feeling broken and desperate, there is help. Hope. The cohort support group meets every Sunday night at the community centre. Refreshments included. Victoria suffered unimaginable horrors and trauma from her four-year relationship with her vampire ex-boyfriend.

This superlative collection of futuristic tales explores ground-breaking supernatural themes from the founding heroes of the science fiction genre. The short story form is perfect for capturing the atmospheric tension of these legendary stories.

Long ago, a mysterious event known as The Great Forget ravaged Earth. Magic was born. Millennia later, a baby with red eyes is abandoned at the gates of a small kingdom whose sole mandate is to guard the Pass of Death. The young orphan, Chip, is condemned by a spiteful king to a life of misery in the castle kitchens, looked upon with disdain and treated as an outcast. In an unexpected turn, Chip catches the eye of the wise wizard Xander, who sees something special in him.

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly - but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market.

At the heart of this third volume of his Western saga remains the beautiful and determined Tasmin Berrybender, now married to the "Sin Killer" and mother to their young son, Monty. Although Tasmin intends Montyto be an English gentleman like his grandfather, he lives the childhood of a savage.

Widely considered to be Charles Dickens' greatest and best-loved work, Great Expectations was first published as a serial between December 1860 - August 1861 and has been in print ever since. The story of a young boy from humble origins who dares to dream of becoming a gentleman, it is one of Dickens' most enduring and widely adapted novels. In this new unabridged production, star comedian and polymath Eddie Izzard infuses the story of Pip with his trademark wit and flair.