Short Stories

Not one to let being banged up in Sick Bay stop her, Max has had a brilliant idea. But she needs Markham to execute it on her behalf. The subject of this cunning plan is Peterson, struggling with another bereavement and not doing very well. What’s needed to get him through it is sympathy, sensitivity, tact and understanding. Step forward Mr Markham, for whom sympathy, sensitivity, etc., are things that happen to other people.

2057. Humanity has raised exploiting the solar system to an art form. Bella Lind and the crew of her nuclear-powered ship, the Rockhopper, push ice. They mine comets. And they're good at it. The Rockhopper is nearing the end of its current mission cycle, and everyone is desperate for some much-needed R & R, when startling news arrives from Saturn: Janus, one of Saturn's ice moons, has inexplicably left its natural orbit and is now heading out of the solar system at high speed.

A moving story of an old woman reckoning with memories - both cherished and heartbreaking - of her past, from French Rwandan author Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse, winner of the 2020 Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie.

The World's Best Short Stories is a compendium of crazy and oddly funny stories from different periods across human history. You’ll learn about pompous politicians, admirable animals, and some very strange oddballs! The book provides the listener with an easily accessible entrance into some of the most important aspects of human history. The stories are packed with humor and jokes to offer up even the grumpiest of listeners a wry smile.

Penny Wilson has a successful business, more friends than a girl could ask for, and a boyfriend she’s madly and passionately in love with. Scott Beckley is honest, loyal, hands down the best lover on the planet, and absolutely gaga over his nieces and nephews. Scott’s a keeper...as long as Penny doesn’t ever want to hear those three magical words that would take their relationship to the next level.

Yarima Lalo believes he has been murdered twice before. The cause? Love. To make sense of these vivid memories he cannot shake, he travels from Abuja to Kano with his new friend and love interest Aziza to meet an old woman who he might have known in a past life. She is skeptical at first - and hesitant to revisit painful memories of her own - but together, they dig deeper and deeper into the past, piecing together a shared history with ripple effects that could shape Lalo’s future.

The Ultimate Horror Collection is a fully-indexed collection of over 60 classic horror stories, read by four Audie-winning narrators. Included here are stories by H.P. Lovecraft; Edgar Allan Poe; M.R. James; Oscar Wilde; Joseph Le Fanu; Bram Stoker; Mary Shelley; Robert Louis Stevenson; and Henry James.

Catch up with the original monster-human couple, Danny and Wyn, in their Wastes-style adventures. Witness Moth and Wyn's blossoming and potentially concerning friendship. Find out all the new ways Edin has been frustrating Hunter (lovingly) since their story ended. And join Lor and Jugs in welcoming a new furry addition to their monster-world family.

Fay Roper is a divorced single mom and a globally famous actress. She’s also unlucky in love. Maybe because the last thing Fay wants in a man is yet another superfan. But somehow, every time she has a boyfriend who isn’t a stalker, he abruptly disappears from her life. With the help of her best friend and right-hand woman, Poppy, Fay decides to change the game and join an exclusive new dating app under a false identity. A subscriber named Oliver takes the bait. But Oliver likes to play games too. And only one of them can win.

Cet audiobook propose une approche naturelle et progressive du japonais à travers une série de courtes histoires bilingues destinées aux débutants francophones. La méthode repose sur une idée simple : on retient mieux une langue lorsqu’on l’entend et qu’on la suit dans un récit plutôt qu’en mémorisant des listes de mots. Chaque histoire présente une scène du quotidien en japonais, suivie d’une traduction française claire pour confirmer le sens sans casser le rythme d’écoute.

It’s Christmas Eve and Stella Hansen is broke. She is so broke that despite working two jobs, she can’t even afford a present for her husband on their first Christmas as man and wife. But then a mysterious storekeeper at a pawn shop offers Stella an intriguing trade. Stella wants more than anything to buy her husband the Christmas gift of his dreams. But will it come at a terrible price?

In "Airport Heaven" a lesbian couple enjoy role-play, while "Hen Party" involves two women who make their own entertainment when they get stuck on a dull weekend away. In "The Train Ride", two women are drawn to each other on a long journey, and "Backstory" explores what happens when a woman asks her boyfriend to get it on with another man. Finally, in "Office Politics", a feisty office worker gets more than a telling off when she's called to her female boss' office.

In "Alice's Adventures in Spankland", a young woman explores her curiosity about spanking by taking a trip to a very kinky club with a couple. In "Seven Years", a couple spice up their relationship with a touch of cuckolding. In "Striptease", an accountant shows her wilder side when she takes a job as a stripper, while "The Audition" explores what happens when a woman decides to test out men to dominate her. Lastly, "The Punishment" tells the tale of a woman who suffers when she cheats on her man.

Stranded on the distant planet Tschai, young Adam Reith is the sole survivor of a space mission who discovers the world is inhabited - not only by warring alien cultures but by human slaves as well, taken early in Earth's history. Reith must find a way off the planet to warn Earth of Tschai's deadly existence.

Mack Holland might as well have the word “former” tattooed across his chest. He’s a former Green Beret. A former CIA Ground Branch Team Leader. A former husband. A former father. At least his dog, Blue, still appreciates him. But when a black SUV with government plates crunches down the gravel driveway of his remote backwoods home, Mack’s quiet, post-operator life is shattered. The G-man who steps out brings news Mack never expected to hear: his daughter Lindsey, officially dead and buried for five years, is alive. And she’s being held hostage in Syria.

Life is hard enough for a teenage girl in 1950s suburbia without having a mother who may—or may not—be a witch. A single mother at that. Sure, she fits in with her starched dresses, string of pearls, and floral aprons. Then there are the hushed and mystical consultations with neighborhood women in distress. The unsavory, mysterious plants in the flower beds. The divined warning to steer clear of a boyfriend whose fate is certainly doomed.

From the UK best-selling author of Abbot's Keep comes a new dimension in terror. Spanning four decades, the dark history of Church Farm House is explored within four interlinking horror stories. Welcome to the nightmare... Benedict Ashforth is the author of the UK best-selling Kindle ghost story, Abbot's Keep.

Anna has just started her new job at a mega-conglomerate corporation. Upon being assigned a tough task, Anna hears rumors about her supposedly arrogant and brash CEO. Things change dramatically when she is assigned to accompany him on a business trip.

Landon Connor is a man of many talents - all business magazines agree on that. My family calls me a workaholic, but being driven and career-focused is what turned me into a hotshot CEO. I have good reasons for keeping my personal life on hold. Then Maddie Jennings walks into my life and makes me question all my choices. Maddie says she hasn't met anyone like me before, and hopes she never will again. Good. I can't stand the thought of anyone else getting the reactions I do out of her when I boss her around, when I stand just a little too close.

The prestigious annual story anthology, featuring prize-winning stories by a diverse and exciting array of writers, including Wendell Berry, Alice Hoffman, Dave Eggers, Ling Ma, Lori Ostlund, and Anthony Marra. Continuing a century-long tradition of cutting-edge literary excellence, this year's...