Publisher: Charles River Editors
The Octopus: A Story of California was inspired by the Mussel Slough Tragedy that took place in 1880 when a group of setters were disputing land titles with the Southern Pacific Railroad. The book centers around a conflict between wheat farmers and the Pacific and Southwestern railroad.
"The Sphinx Without a Secret" by Oscar Wilde is a captivating short story that delves into the enigmatic nature of human relationships and the allure of hidden truths. Set against the backdrop of the sophisticated society of Victorian London, the narrative unravels the mystery surrounding a beautiful woman named Lady Alroy. Read in English, unabridged.Show book
Dive into the soothing beauty of "To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf, narrated by the calming voice of Elizabeth Grace and produced by Slumber Studios. Stuggling to relax or fall asleep? Whether you’re dealing with insomnia or an overactive mind, this audiobook is designed to lead you into a deep, restorative sleep. So close your eyes, relax, and let Elizabeth Grace's gentle narration guide you through the evocative world of the Ramsay family. Traverse the emotional landscapes and lyrical prose that Woolf masterfully weaves, from the serene Scottish coast to the profound reflections on time and memory. At Slumber Studios, we specialize in creating relaxing content to help you unwind and drift off to sleep. This audiobook features a slow, soft narration and soothing background music, ensuring a peaceful journey into slumber. If you’re looking for a way to unwind after a long day, you’ve found it. Simply press play, lay down in bed, and let Elizabeth's calming voice transport you into a world of dreams. Wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to embrace the new day.Show book
Listen to A Bullet for Cinderella with a movie-style soundtrack and amplify your audiobook experience. HER VENEER WAS BIG CITY ... But one look and you knew that Toni Raselle's instincts were straight out of the river shack she came from. I watched her as she toyed with the man, laughing, her tumbled hair like raw blue-black silk, her brown shoulders bare. Eyes deep-set, a girl with a gypsy look. So this was the girl I had risked my life to find. This was the girl who was going to lead me to a buried fortune in stolen loot.Show book
Herbert George Wells (1866 - 1946) was a prolific English writer of science fiction stories and novels, and is frequently credited as being the father of science fiction.'The Moth' is the strange tale of two rivalling entomologists, each determined to demolish the other's life's work. When one of them dies, the other struggles to cope in the absence of his rival. And then he discovers an entirely new species of moth - a moth very reminiscent of his dead rival - and which pursues him wherever he goes.Show book
Author Edna Ferber described the story of SO BIG as being about a "material man, son of his earth-grubbing, idealistic mother." Left an orphan at 19 years old in the late 1880s, Selina Peake needs to support herself. She leaves the city life she has known to become a teacher in the farming community of High Prairie, IL. Her father had told her that life is an adventure, and one should make the most of it. Selina sees beauty everywhere, including in the fields of cabbages. She has a natural curiosity about farming and oversteps the woman's traditional role by having the audacity to ask the men questions. She soon marries Pervus DeJong, a farmer. Selina eagerly offers suggestions for operational improvements, but Pervus ignores her, preferring to use the unprofitable farming methods employed by his father. Though she suffers many hardships, Selina always remembers the importance of beauty, and she admires those who exercise their creative talents. She tries to instill these views in her son Dirk and fights with her husband over the need for their child to get a full education. Once Dirk finishes college and starts work, will he retain Selina's values? SO BIG was the first book to have the rare distinction of being the best-selling book of the year and win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.Show book
"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.The novel was inspired by a youthful romance Fitzgerald had with socialite Ginevra King, and the riotous parties he attended on Long Island's North Shore in 1922. Following a move to the French Riviera, Fitzgerald completed a rough draft of the novel in 1924. He submitted it to editor Maxwell Perkins, who persuaded Fitzgerald to revise the work over the following winter. After making revisions, Fitzgerald was satisfied with the text, but remained ambivalent about the book's title and considered several alternatives. Painter Francis Cugat's cover art greatly impressed Fitzgerald, and he incorporated aspects of it into the novel.After its publication by Scribner's in April 1925, The Great Gatsby received generally favorable reviews, though some literary critics believed it did not equal Fitzgerald's previous efforts. Compared to his earlier novels, Gatsby was a commercial disappointment, selling fewer than 20,000 copies by October, and Fitzgerald's hopes of a monetary windfall from the novel were unrealized. When the author died in 1940, he believed himself to be a failure and his work forgotten.Show book
