Great Literature

The world now has its first sage in over a century! Luciel returns at last from his extended stay in the City in the Sky with wondrous powers in hand, and this displeases a very particular faction within the Church of Saint Shurule. Red carpets were never the timid S-rank’s style, but an armed platoon isn’t exactly what he had in mind for his homecoming either. To make matters worse, just about everywhere Luciel turns is yet another plot in the making.

Luciel arrives at the City in the Sky, hopeful he can retrieve what he’s lost. All is not as it seems, though, as Neldahl holds many secrets in unlikely places. How many of the city’s curious features are merely the proclivities of Lord Reinstar, and how many speak to conspiracy? The S-rank isn’t sure he wants to know, so it’s a good thing he has plenty to occupy him, like hitting the books, practicing magic, and exploring the labyrinthine halls of the Sorcerer’s Guild.

Retired Army Ranger John Stone has settled into his life as a bar owner in Great Falls, Montana. But news about the death of a brother-in-arms and the kidnapping of his goddaughter shakes his world apart. John discovers the murder and abduction might involve the ex-wife of his fallen brother and a prototype technology that could threaten the security of the free world. Now, with time running out, John must rely on the abilities of his former life to save his goddaughter from the same fate as her father.

A glorious collection of some of the finest British short stories ever written. The Dog – Arnold Bennet, Not On The Passenger List – Barry Pain, The Old Man’s Tale About The Queer Client – Charles Dickens, The Half Brothers – Elizabeth Gaskell, The Veiled Portrait – James McGovan, Markheim – Robert Louis Stevenson, The Bottle Imp – Robert Louis Stevenson, The Adventures Of The Kind Mr. Smith – William J. Locke, The Man Of Mystery – Barry Pain, The Brazilian Cat – Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle.

Jewelry designer Lindsey McKenna is thrilled to be working at an antique exhibit at a local landmark that has been her obsession: the Wind Thorne estate. During the 1920s, it roared. Until an unsolved murder shadowed its legacy. Today, restored as a museum, Wind Thorne draws crowds of visitors to upstate New York. When one of them approaches Lindsey with an old diary, Lindsey is drawn deeper into Wind Thorne’s storied past.

Hey there, sleepyhead. Can you hear me? It's time to settle down and get ready for bed. I can see those little eyes growing heavy, and your dreams eagerly waiting to whisk you away into a world of wonder with classical stories. Are you ready for a bedtime story? Sweetie, it's time to tuck yourself in and listen to a magical tale. You won't want to miss out on the incredible adventures that await you tonight.

With outrageous anecdotes about everyone from Leonardo Da Vinci to Caravaggio to Edward Hopper, Secret Lives of Great Artists recounts the seamy, steamy, and gritty history behind the great masters of international art. You'll learn that Michelangelo's body odor was so bad, his assistants couldn't stand working for him; that Vincent van Gogh sometimes ate paint directly from the tube; and Georgia O'Keeffe loved to paint in the nude. This is one art history lesson you'll never forget!

Pearl Spence has been through more in her young life than most folks could handle. But through it all, her family has been by her side. They may not be perfect, but they love her, and they all love each other, come what may. That's one thing Pearl no longer questions.

A groundbreaking new look at an American icon, The Wizard of Oz. Finding Oz tells the remarkable tale behind one of the world’s most enduring and best loved stories. Offering profound new insights into the true origins and meaning of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 masterwork, it delves into the...

Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts is a remarkable examination of 12 illuminated manuscripts from the medieval period. Noted authority Christopher de Hamel invites the listener into intimate conversations with these texts to explore what they tell us about nearly a thousand years of medieval history - and sometimes about the modern world too. In so doing, de Hamel introduces us to kings, queens, saints, scribes, artists, librarians, thieves, dealers, and collectors.

Now a major motion picture directed by Stephen Frears ( The Queen, High Fidelity) and starring Judi Dench ( Skyfall, Notes on a Scandal) and Steve Coogan ( The Trip, Hamlet 2): the heartbreaking true story of an Irishwoman and the secret she kept for 50 years. When she became pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to a convent to be looked after as a "fallen woman". Then the nuns took her baby from her and sold him, like thousands of others, to America for adoption. Fifty years later, Philomena decided to find him.

The aliens are back. France is under siege. As the Martians prepare to attack Paris, roving bands of rogue soldiers pillage the country, taking whatever they please. The nightmare has returned. Christian was a child when he lost his family in the first Martian attack. Now, he wants nothing more than to avenge their deaths and punish the murderous aliens and traitors who work with them.

"The Great Gatsby" is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.

Some Great and Mysterious Desire recounts the perilous and strange journey of the young Thaddeus Michael, and his quest to reclaim a stolen heirloom. A visit to the mansion of his estranged Grandfather brings Thaddeus face to face with the history of his family, and the mystery of his vocation. A vocation that transcends the sweep of known history, and maybe even the boundaries of the known world…

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo adored adventure. In November, 1930, she was thrilled to realize her dream of traveling to the United States to live in San Francisco, Detroit, and New York. Still, leaving her family and her country for the first time was monumental. Only 23 and newly married to the already world-famous 43-year-old Diego Rivera, she was at a crossroads in her life and this new place, one filled with magnificent beauty, horrific poverty, racial tension, anti-Semitism, ethnic diversity, bland Midwestern food, and a thriving music scene, pushed Frida in unexpected directions.

King Lear is perhaps the most poignant character in literature. The aged, abused monarch is at once the consummate figure of authority and the classic example of the fall from majesty. He is widely agreed to be William Shakespeare's most moving, tragic hero. Award-winning writer and beloved professor Harold Bloom writes about Lear with wisdom, joy, exuberance, and compassion. He also explores his own personal relationship to the character.

When the CIA needed a fall guy, Dugan was the one it betrayed. Forsaken by those he’d trusted and with nowhere to turn, he’s made it his mission to stop the miscreants who ruined his life before they can destroy anyone else’s. From human-trafficking rings and remorseless hit men to byzantine plots to alter the world order, Dugan must outwit those chartered with terminating him while battling overwhelming odds.

The bookshelves of European literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors. From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure. Among them is the prodigiously talented Edmondo de Amicus...

"Merciless Marvin the Magnificent" is back! (Which means, of course, that Fats the Fuse and Raymond the Rat are along for the ride). When Marvin makes his way into Macy's department store, he thinks he's discovered the best deal a mouse could wish for. But no sooner has he gathered his gang, and then gotten them cozily settled into a dollhouse in the toy department, than Macy's Santa goes missing.

It is early 1846, and many Saints, including most of the Steeds, begin the difficult journey across Iowa as they move toward a new and distant home in the Rocky Mountains. Among them is the volatile Joshua Steed, who, intent on accompanying his now widowed mother, has temporarily left his wife and children behind in Nauvoo. With trouble brewing in that dying city, will they be in danger? And what is the secret that Joshua feels compelled to keep hidden from the other Steeds?