My Father's Moon


Elizabeth Jolley - 1989
    She and the baby, and sometimes Ramsden, eke out their days at shabby hospitals across England, dreaming always of better places, other things.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea


Roy Richardson - 2006
    A group of men set sail to solve the mystery of a sea monster in this amazing underwater adventure.

Heart of a Dog


Mikhail Bulgakov - 1925
    This satirical novel tells the story of the surgical transformation of a dog into a man, and is an obvious criticism of Soviet society, especially the new rich that arose after the Bolshevik revolution.

They Do It with Mirrors


Agatha Christie - 2012
    Her fears are confirmed when a youth fires a gun at the administrator, but that isn't the only shooting!

Novels in Three Lines


Félix Fénéon - 1906
    This extraordinary trove, undiscovered until the 1940s and here translated for the first time into English, is the work of the mysterious Félix Fénéon. Dandy, anarchist, and critic of genius, the discoverer of Georges Seurat and the first French publisher of James Joyce, Fénéon carefully maintained his own anonymity, toiling for years as an obscure clerk in the French War Department. Novels in Three Lines is his secret chef-d’oeuvre, a work of strange and singular art that brings back the long-ago year of 1906 with the haunting immediacy of a photograph while looking forward to such disparate works as Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project and the Death and Disaster series of Andy Warhol.

Fever


Mary Beth Keane - 2013
    Working in the kitchens of the upper class, she left a trail of disease in her wake, until one enterprising and ruthless “medical engineer” proposed the inconceivable notion of the “asymptomatic carrier”—and from then on Mary Mallon was a hunted woman. In order to keep New York’s citizens safe from Mallon, the Department of Health sent her to North Brother Island where she was kept in isolation from 1907-1910. She was released under the condition that she never work as a cook again. Yet for Mary—spoiled by her status and income and genuinely passionate about cooking—most domestic and factory jobs were heinous. She defied the edict.Bringing early twentieth-century New York alive—the neighborhoods, the bars, the park being carved out of upper Manhattan, the emerging skyscrapers, the boat traffic—Fever is as fiercely compelling as Typhoid Mary herself, an ambitious retelling of a forgotten life. In the hands of Mary Beth Keane, Mary Mallon becomes an extraordinarily dramatic, vexing, sympathetic, uncompromising, and unforgettable character.

The Various Lives of Keats and Chapman: Including The Brother


Flann O'Brien - 1976
    And who is funnier?"- Edna O'BrienThe cream of Flann O'Brien's comic tour-de-force, the Keats and Chapman stories began in O'Brien's column in the Irish Times. He called them "studies in literary pathology" -- monstrously tall tales that explore the very limits of the shaggy dog story. As one critic wrote, they will accumulate the fantasy to the point of sadism, and then cash home with the flat, desolating pun."The Brother" is another of O'Brien's funniest creations. He is the archetypal Dublin man -- an authority on every one of mankind's ills, from the common cold to the court case. Forget the experts, The Brother knows best."The best comic writer I can think of."- S. J. Perelman

Hornblower and His Majesty


C.S. Forester - 1940
    For his first command after escaping from France, Hornblower is given charge of the royal yacht - and he soon requires all his skill and instinct to prevent disaster!

The Unexpected Path


Barbara Hinske - 2021
    Convincing her well-intentioned but misinformed coworkers that she’s as capable as ever is her biggest challenge…until Connor shows up on her door. Can they heal old wounds and give their fledgling marriage a fresh start?Meanwhile, tragedy strikes young Zoe, and Emily has a life-changing choice to make.Follow along as Garth and Emily step out, together, to meet every challenge.

Midlife Happy Hour: Our Reward for Surviving Careers, Kids, and Chaos (Midlife Cabernet Book 2)


Elaine Ambrose - 2016
    Elaine Ambrose boldly writes her latest kiss-my-attitude book as a sassy sequel to Midlife Cabernet. Ambrose shares her festive life experiences and career-crushing anecdotes as she explains how to remain relevant after age 50, why grown children make great travel companions, and how to balance midlife without falling over. Ambrose notes that her feminine mystique sprung a leak after years of competing as a funny female in a serious male job market. Now the hard work is done, and she invites midlife women to join her for Happy Hour.

Summary: "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel" by Gail Honeyman | Discussion Prompts


bestof.me - 2019
    Nobody has ever told Eleanor Oliphant that life should not only be fine but better than fine.  Eleanor Oliphant is an ordinary woman who struggles with the appropriate social skills she needs to have on occasion. She has the tendency to say the exact words that she is thinking. Truth is, nothing is really missing in her carefully timetabled life that can be described as avoidance of social interactions. Her weekends are punctuated by frozen vodka, pizza, and phone chats with her Mummy. But everything will change for Eleanor when she meets Raymond in her office. He is the bumbling IT guy who is deeply unhygienic. When Eleanor and Raymond saw an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, together they saved Sammy. This became the start of the three’s friendship. They would rescue one another from the lives of isolation that they have each been living. And it is none other than the big heart of Raymond that would ultimately help quiet Eleanor to find the best way to repair her own profoundly damaged heart. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine will soon be a major motion picture that will be produced by actress Reese Witherspoon. This novel is a warm, smart and uplifting story of an unlikely heroine whose weirdness and unconscious wit would make an irresistible journey.In this comprehensive look into Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel by Gail Honeyman, you'll gain insight with this essential resource as a guide to aid your discussions. Be prepared to lead with the following: Discussion aid which includes a wealth of prompts and information Overall plot synopsis and author biography Thought-provoking discussion questions for a deeper examination Creative exercises to foster alternate “if this was you” discussions And more!  Disclaimer: This is a companion guide based on the work Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel by Gail Honeyman and is not affiliated to the original work or author in any way. It does not contain any text of the original work. If you haven’t purchased the original work, we encourage you to do so first.

A Bounty of Blandings: Summer Lightning / Heavy Weather / Blandings Castle


P.G. Wodehouse - 2011
    He and his family live an idyllic life of peace and solitude, punctuated by afternoon tea, long strolls in the garden, and summer showers. Or would if they weren't in a Wodehouse story.The apple of Lord Emsworth's eye is the Empress of Blandings, a splendid Berkshire sow who has twice won honors in the Fat Pig class at the local agricultural show. Besides keeping his pig in shape, Emsworth must deal with his sister's snobby demeanor, his brother's crazy memoirs, and a rival pig whose bulk might dash the Empress's hopes of another medal. Throw in a few young lovers and you have yourself a perfect brew of hilarious adventures. Included in this omnibus are Summer Lightning, Heavy Weather, and Blandings Castle. Evelyn Waugh once said, "The gardens of Blandings Castle are that original garden from which we are all exiled. All those who know them long to return."

t zero


Italo Calvino - 1967
    “Calvino does what very few other writers can do: he describes imaginary worlds with the most extraordinary precision and beauty” (Gore Vidal, New York Review of Books). Translated by William Weaver. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Memnon or Human Wisdom


Voltaire - 2010
    

Four Short Stories By Emile Zola


Émile Zola - 2006
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.