Literature & Fiction

My fiancé brought me tea and scrambled eggs in bed that morning, and we snuggled together, talking about buying our rings, and about our perfect wedding next year. Then we headed into town. He held my hand and gazed at the ring I liked best, a smile spreading slowly over his face. Then a glass of bubbly to celebrate. I felt flushed, excited and ready for the rest of my life with the man I loved. We race to get on the train home. It screams to a halt and I run towards its open doors. Made it. I think he’s right behind me — but when I turn around, he’s gone.

Two little girls stand with their heads bowed in my living room. I’m told they’re my granddaughters. Daisy is nine, and Alice seven. Daisy is the spitting image of her mother. This is the first time I’ve met them since my daughter and I fell out after she married that waste of space, Vince. They’ve come to live with me because their mother — my daughter — was murdered. In her own home while they slept close by. I think Vince killed her. But the police can’t prove it. I’ve always known he was no good. He treated my daughter like dirt. I said he’d cheat on her — but she wouldn’t listen.

Who is Audrey Hoedemaker? It's a question her sister Maureen has heard more times than she can count, and she doesn't know what the short answer would be. Little sister, troubled teen, backpacker, musical theatre coach, con artist, childcare worker. Murderer. A tragic, traumatic childhood casts a long shadow on the Hoedemaker sisters. Maureen has worked hard to move beyond the violence of the past and build a good, honest life for herself. Audrey, however, just can't seem to do the same, careening from one state of chaos to another.

Daphne du Maurier was one of the 20th century’s most popular writers. Extraordinarily prolific, she produced a string of bestsellers, many of which were adapted as award-winning films. From romance and adventure yarns to psychological thrillers and supernatural tales, the breadth and imaginative variety of her storytelling continues to thrill us today. This bumper collection features her most famous works and some lesser-known gems, beginning with full-cast adaptations of seven of her much-loved novels.

Depuis l'ère de l’uniformité. Depuis l’ère de la solitude et de la doublepensée. Depuis l’ère de Big Brother… Moi, Winston Smith. Je vous salue… Nous sommes en 1984 et la vie a radicalement changé. Big Brother vous observe en permanence et personne ne peut lui échapper. Sauf, peut-être, Winston Smith. Il travaille au ministère de la Vérité, où il réécrit l’histoire, mais en secret, il rêve de liberté. Et dans un monde où l’amour et le sexe sont interdits, où il est difficile de savoir qui est un ami ou un ennemi, il rencontre Julia et O’Brien et jure de se rebeller.

Christy Ward is the lead producer of Hindsight, a true crime podcast, and she has stumbled across an unresolved triple murder case that will make the perfect next feature. Sixteen years ago, the police were convinced that they had found their killer. But the case was unexpectedly shut down, it never went to trial and their main suspect walked free. Will Christy and her team be able to solve the case, or will they be silenced too....

Ivy loves Christmas. As the owner of Christmas Every Day, the year-round festive store, you'd expect nothing less! The only thing missing in Ivy's life is a dash of romance – something her twin sister Holly will not let her forget… When her mother passed away, Ivy vowed to take over the running of her mother’s store and keep the Christmas spirit alive in the idyllic seaside town of Marram Bay. But all this changes when an enigmatic businessman moves to the town, threatening to bulldoze her beloved shop to make way for a holiday complex. Can Ivy save her shop before Christmas?

सन् 1962 की हार ने पूरे भारत को हताशा की गर्त में डाल दिया था। लोग इतने हताश थे कि उन्होंने इस युद्ध में भाग लेने वाले सैनिकों के परिवार वालों को निशाना बनाना शुरू कर दिया था। उनका सामूहिक बहिष्कार किया जाने लगा था। लोगों के इस आक्रोश का सबसे ज़्यादा शिकार रेवाड़ी और आस-पास के गाँवों के वो परिवार थे जिनके घर से कोई सेना में था। ख़ासतौर से अहीर जाति के लोग। लोगों का मानना था कि इस जाति के लोगो ने युद्ध के दौरान देश के साथ गद्दारी की और अपनी जान बचाकर बिना लड़े ही भाग आए और अब कहीं छुपकर अपना जीवन जी रहे हैं।

ग़ाज़ीपुर के अम्बिका यादव बड़े ठेकेदार हैं। इस बार सेटिंग बैठी है तो सैदपुर घाट से गंगा बालू निकालने का ठेका मिला है। लेकिन इस खेल के माहिर जयनाथ यादव को अम्बिका यादव का यह ठेका पचता नहीं। कारण कि सैदपुर में गंगा बालू का ठेका घोषित/अघोषित रूप से उनके ही पास रहता है। इसी तनातनी में अम्बिका यादव की हत्या हो जाती है, जिसका इल्जाम लगता है जयनाथ यादव पर।

This anthology of horror and suspense features seven spine-tingling stories to entice your imagination, including Every Now and Then by George Zarr, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, How to Shed 180 Pounds by Pete Lutz, Personal Delivery by George Zarr, A Visitor from Egypt by Frank Belknap Long Jr, Dark Road to Nowhere by Joey Ouellette, and The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe. Sound effects and music chillingly enhance each story.

यह ऑडियो शो 1606 में मेवाड़ और मुग़लों के बीच हुए दिवेर के युद्ध की एक काल्पनिक, लेकिन ऐतिहासिक घटनाओं से प्रेरित कहानी है। यह हल्दीघाटी की हार और अरावली के जंगलों में महाराणा प्रताप के संघर्ष के बाद उनके बेटे अमर सिंह प्रथम की नायक और राजनयिक बनने की यात्रा को दिखाती है।

‘इश्क़ मुग़लई’ में मुग़लकाल की 10 ऐसी प्रेम कहानियाँ है जो किवंदंतियों में हैं, जिसकी चर्चा इतिहास में नहीं होती लेकिन मुग़लकालीन कुछ फ़िक्शन-नॉन फ़िक्शन में इनका ज़िक्र होता है।

कहानी एक आदिवासी लड़के से शुरू होती है, जिसके पिता आदिवासी अधिकारों के नेता हैं, एक जातिगत हिंसा में मारे जाते हैं। अनाथ लड़के को जान का खतरा होता है, इसलिए वह बद्दी (हिमाचल) में मज़दूरी करता है, लेकिन शोषण और धोखाधड़ी के कारण भाग जाता है। ट्रेन में वह छात्र नेताओं से मिलता है, जो उसे नौकर बनाते हैं। उनके आपराधिक गतिविधियों में शामिल होकर वह डकैती करता है, पकड़ा जाता है, लेकिन जूवेनाइल होने के कारण कम सज़ा पाता है।

The final series of GNR8 has landed - The project that brings actors from LAMDA, the number one rated drama school in the UK together with the most exciting, talented and diverse new audio writers and directors. Expect thrills, chills, gasps and laughs as we invite you to join us for a final hurrah…with GNR8 6. Drama written and performed by the hottest new talent. Listen to original audio plays starring LAMDA students and commissioned from some of the UK's most exciting emerging writers, including Anne Odeke ‘Princess Essex’ The Globe Theatre , and Kiran Benawra ‘Rage Room’ Channel 4.

東京で挫折し、故郷の丹馬九重市に戻った主人公・弓沢は、市役所のアルバイトに採用され、正規職員を目指していた。

The British Classics Collection: Volume One is a century-spanning collection of 24 classic works of fiction and poetry by British authors, read by a cast of incredible narrators including Stephen Fry, Joanne Froggatt, Jason Isaacs, Adjoa Andoh, and many more. Included here are stories by some of the greatest writers of all time, including Charles Dickens; Emily Brontë; Jane Austen; Thomas Hardy; George Eliot; D.H. Lawrence; and Mary Shelley, amongst a host of others.

जयंतनगर में छोटे-छोटे बच्चों का क़त्ल हो रहा है, पर क़ातिल का कोई सुराग़ नहीं मिल रहा। पुलिस को लगता है कि ये एंटी-नैशनल लोगों का काम है, जो हिंदू-मुस्लिम एकता को तोड़ना चाह रहे हैं, जिससे जयंतनगर में लॉ एंड ऑर्डर की समस्या खड़ी हो जाए। शहर में NRC और CAA का विरोध हो रहा है। पुलिस को लगता है कि कोई ऐसा आदमी इस सिचुएशन का फ़ायदा उठना चाह रहा है, जिसकी पकड़ हिंदू और मुस्लिम दोनों ग्रूप में है। इधर सुगंधा की शादी को काफ़ी साल हो गए हैं पर उसे अभी तक बच्चा नहीं हुआ, इसलिए वह बच्चा पाने के लिए किसी भी हद तक जाने को तैयार है।

अस्तबल में नीलोत्पल मृणाल नए मुखर्जी नगर की वास्तविक झलक दिखाते हैं, जहाँ UPSC की तैयारी का सपना अब गहरी खाई में डूब चुका है। CSAT के नए पैटर्न ने पुराने हिंदी माध्यम के छात्रों को जैसे खारिज़ कर दिया है। पुराने धुरंधर कहते हैं, “हमसे ना हो पाएगा।” नए बांकुरे, जैसे रोहन त्रिवेदी, रेड बुल के घूँट के साथ जवाब देते हैं, “हमसे ही होगा!” यहाँ की लड़कियाँ चौखट लाँघकर अपना हक़ छीनने आई हैं। दूसरी तरफ PCS के जाल में फँसी पुरानी पीढ़ी, शादी-ब्याह के दबाव में घुटती जा रही है। अस्तबल इन्हीं संघर्षों का इमानदार दस्तावेज़ है।

Even if traditional books have felt frustrating to listen to, these short, accessible stories will keep your mind engaged and heart warmed.

Five years after seventy-something Tess jetted off to Paris with her best friends, Jen, Rose, Della and Pam - the Five French Hens - for Jen’s hen do, a lot has changed. Prospective groom Eddie has been given the heave-ho, Tess’s husband has been sent packing and the Hens are making the most of their golden years. But Tess is stuck in a rut. Rather than embrace her independence, she watches on as Rose wows Paris, Jen explores Iceland and Pam heads to Greece. But when tragedy strikes Della, Tess is shaken into action.

Thomas Mann's last great novel, first published in 1947 and now newly rendered into English by acclaimed translator John E. Woods, is a modern reworking of the Faust legend, in which Germany sells its soul to the Devil. Mann's protagonist, the composer Adrian Leverkühn, is the flower of German culture, a brilliant, isolated, overreaching figure, his radical new music a breakneck game played by art at the very edge of impossibility. In return for twenty-four years of unparalleled musical accomplishment, he bargains away his soul—and the ability to love his fellow man.

One of the most desolate stretches of railroad in the West. Travelling along it is a crowded troop train, bound for the cholera-stricken garrison at Fort Humboldt. On board are the Governor of Nevada, the daughter of the fort’s commander and a US marshal escorting a notorious outlaw. Between them and safety are the hostile Paiute Indians – and a man who will stop at nothing, not even murder…

My dad and I have been estranged for years, but as his only living relative, it's no surprise I inherit his massive cattle ranch when he dies. But the stipulation in his will that requires me to live on the ranch and actively manage it for a year before I can access my inheritance money. I haven't stepped foot in Hartsville, Texas, population one thousand, since my parents split when I was six. Now a city girl through and through, I never imagined having to move back to cowboy country. But I need the money to invest in my company, and a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Eldest sister Frances is about to marry her childhood sweetheart. But with Marcus Danby now a fighter pilot, his fate hanging in the balance. Will he return from war for their happy ever after? Meanwhile youngest daughter Emily is swept off her feet by a dashing young officer, but does she really know him? Brother Daniel has joined up, but not before falling in love with a local kitchen girl Alice. Against the backdrop of war is there hope of a future for them?

Meet Hollie Jenson, presenter of the smash-hit docu-series Bad Medicine, which exposes the perils of extreme therapies. Her next target: a new retreat run by wellness guru Ariel Rose, who claims to have discovered the secret to healing pain through her three-day ice rebirth treatment. Acting on a mother's plea to find her son, who vanished soon after his stay, Hollie ventures into the Swiss mountains where the retreat occupies a former observatory in search of the boy and to expose Ariel as the charlatan she believes her to be.