Mansfield's Bliss, and Other Stories, published in 1920, secured the author's literary reputation. While readers and critics at the time generally lauded the short fiction collection, a few reviewers objected to its controversial subject matter - infidelities, discussions of sexuality, cruel and superficial characters. Today "Bliss" is one of Mansfield's most frequently anthologized stories and still resonates with modern readers.

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from H. Rider Haggard, ‘Cleopatra.’ ? The story is set in the Ptolemaic era of ancient Egyptian history and revolves around the survival of a dynasty bloodline protected by the Priesthood of Isis. The main character Harmachis (the living descendant of this bloodline) is charged by the Priesthood to overthrow the supposed impostor Cleopatra, drive out the Romans, and restore Egypt to its golden era. As is the case with the majority of Haggard's works, the story draws heavily upon adventure and exotic concepts. The story, told from the point of view of the Egyptian priest Harmachis, is recounted in biblical language, being in the form of papyrus scrolls found in a tomb. Haggard's portrait of Cleopatra is quite stunning, revealing her wit, her treachery, and her overwhelming presence. All of the characters are mixtures of good and evil, and evoke both sympathy and loathing. ? Sir Henry Rider Haggard was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and the creator of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of the scale of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. He was also involved in agricultural reform and improvement in the British Empire.? His breakout novel was?King Solomon's Mines(1885), which was to be the first in a series telling of the multitudinous adventures of its protagonist, Allan Quatermain. Haggard was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Conservative candidate for the Eastern division of Norfolk in 1895. The locality of Rider, British Columbia, was named in his memory.

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from H. Rider Haggard, ‘The Ghost Kings.’ "The Zulus have a strange story of a white girl who in Dingaan's day was supposed to 'hold the spirit' of some legendary goddess of theirs who is also white. This girl, they say, was very beautiful and brave, and had great power in the land before the battle of the Blood River, which they fought with the emigrant Boers. Her title was Lady of the Zulus, or more shortly, Zoola, which means Heaven." This is her story. Sir Henry Rider Haggard was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and the creator of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of the scale of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. He was also involved in agricultural reform and improvement in the British Empire. His breakout novel was King Solomon's Mines (1885), which was to be the first in a series telling of the multitudinous adventures of its protagonist, Allan Quatermain. Haggard was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Conservative candidate for the Eastern division of Norfolk in 1895. The locality of Rider, British Columbia, was named in his memory.

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Henry James, ‘In the Cage’. ? This long story centers on an unnamed London telegrapher. She deciphers clues to her clients' personal lives from the often cryptic telegrams they submit to her as she sits in the "cage" at the post office. Sensitive and intelligent, the telegrapher eventually finds out more than she may want to know. Henry James, OM (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American writer who spent most of his writing career in Britain. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. ? He is best known for a number of novels showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from a character's point of view allowed him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators brought a new depth to narrative fiction. ? James contributed significantly to literary criticism, particularly in his insistence that writers be allowed the greatest possible freedom in presenting their view of the world. James claimed that a text must first and foremost be realistic and contain a representation of life that is recognizable to its readers. Good novels, to James, show life in action and are, most importantly, interesting. In addition to his voluminous works of fiction he published articles and books of travel, biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. James alternated between America and Europe for the first twenty years of his life; eventually he settled in England, becoming a British subject in 1915, one year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916.

Michael Lim has a secret, one that he cannot tell anyone, even his wife. But how long can he keep it, and how will his wife react when she finds out? Grace Lim cares about expensive things and outdoing her neighbours. Her husband's secret can destroy her perfect world. Will she find out his secret, and will their marriage survive?

Síla Wellnsburgsk?ch kord? a jeho erbu je opravdu mocná, proto?e doká?e spojit rodinu i poté co se od ní někdo na dlouhou dobu odlou?í. Pomoc, kterou dostali se rozhodnou vrátit, hned poté co se dozví prav? d?vod jejich p?edur?ené cesty. V?e zní tak tajemně a dobrodru?n? ?ivot je láká. To, ?e tyto dvoj?ata, která se narodila s?mate?sk?m znaménkem hvězdi?ek hledá hned několik lidí o tom neměli Christopher s Elizabeth nejmen?ího tu?ení. Plaví se do Indie, aby nabídly svou pomoc, kde budou muset ?elit mistrovskému umění japonsk?ch ninj?. Ve sv?ch zádech mají ?lechtice - zpropadené lotry: Hedriena, Lambera a Merziena, kte?í je na jejich cestě pronásledují, proto?e byli do těch slu?eb najati a kter?m se nakonec poda?í bez problému unést Elizabeth, kterou vynesou ven ze Sheeradova pláce ve srolovaném koberci. V?té době co je Elizabeth uná?ena neznámo kam, její dvoj?e Christopher, spole?ně s?hrabětem Richardem a skupinou odvá?n?ch mu??, uvíznou v?pasti tajemné svatyně, v?podzemí Sheeradovy ?í?e.

Set in the fictional Central European country of Evallonia the novel follows Scottish visitors in the overthrow of a corrupt republic and the restoration of the monarchy. It is a sequel to Castle Gay, in which some Evallonians visited Scotland on a secret mission two years before the start of this novel.

Hi there, I'm Olivia Hampshire. I write hot, steamy Swirl Romance novels, and this one, “Priceless! Paying for Pleasure,” kept me hot through the entire writing process, knowing that one of the main characters would end up in her dream room at the Swirl Resort, “The Mandingo Room.” This swirl, romantic adventure takes place at the Swirl Resort, located on the ocean in the wonderful city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Swirl Resort is owned by Christine, one of the most beautiful, curvy, well endowed blonds on the planet, and her partner of business and love, Jerome. Jerome is a big, handsome hunk of black man that has made hundreds of thousands of dollars getting paid by the most wealthy white women from all over the world to give them pleasure. Christine and Jerome opened the Swirl Resort providing people access to great interracial pleasure. They have hired the most beautiful, kind, well endowed, black men and women, all well traveled and educated to provide conversation, companionship and yes sexual pleasure to world travelers that lust for this experience. In this stand alone book, 4 single, somewhat wealthy white women decide to vacation at the luxurious Swirl Resort. One has decided that she is going to pay for sex until she can't take anymore. She is a professional with an ok job, that pays great money. A friend of hers is in the situation where her husband has just died and she is just along to see the beach and get away from her Sacramento home for a while. The third, a sexy, wonderful real estate attorney, is looking for love, she has only made bad decisions with men in the past, so she goes along for the ride with great caution. The fourth one, she needs money. This is a love and lust adventure. Enjoy the ride.

A collection of gothic stories from Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula featuring: A Dream of Rend Hands, Crooken Sands, Old Hoggen, The Dualitists, The Man from Shorrox.

At a country house, five guests gather and are chosen by a brilliant scientist to take part in a shocking experiment which will let them glimpse one year into the future. However, when the experiment takes place, two of the guests see their own obituaries in The Times one year after. Will they be able to change their destinies?

What came first, the chicken or the egg? It is obviously the chicken, right? I mean, where would an egg come from if it were not laid by a chicken? So the chicken had to have come first. Now I hear your anger, there is no need to shout. You are asking me where the chicken came from and I will answer your question in the very next sentence. The chicken came from an egg. I hear you breathe a sigh of relief as if you have won the argument. I can see the slight smile on your face as you believe yourself to have won the argument but this is not so, for you see, the egg which you are so happy about had to have come from a chicken. So, obviously, the chicken came first. Now that we have established that, we can get on to the content of this book. You are here to learn everything you need to know about raising backyard chickens. The question which will no doubt be on your mind is, why would I want to raise backyard chickens? The answer to this question is, why not? The most obvious benefit of raising chickens in your own backyard is the eggs. Most laying hens will lay an egg every day or two. If you were to have three chickens in your backyard then you could expect to have up to three eggs every day. These humble little eggs will be the best eggs which you have ever tasted. They will be more flavorful than the eggs you would buy in the store and more colorful than the rising sun. If you are raising backyard chickens then there is a good chance that you are composting in your backyard too. If you are not then these little-feathered beasts will take care of your table scraps and turn it into some of the best compost known to man (and woman). The chickens will also take care of the bugs and other small animals which may roam into your yard. When they have processed these scraps or bugs, they will poop all over your lawn (or wherever else you have put them. This compost poop will help your plants and flowers grow like nothing else. We all love the smell of freshly cut grass but the time saved by not having to mow your lawn will more than make up for that. Let them roam free on your lawn and they will trim it for you. As an added bonus, you do not even need to pay them.

The play picks up where Henry IV, Part One left off. Its focus is on Prince Hal's journey toward kingship, and his ultimate rejection of Falstaff. However, unlike Part One, Hal's and Falstaff's stories are almost entirely separate, as the two characters meet only twice and very briefly. The tone of much of the play is elegiac, focusing on Falstaff's age and his closeness to death, which parallels that of the increasingly sick king.

HONOR AMONG MEN AND THE HUNTING OF HOUNDS. A short story from The Hounds of Annwn. When George Talbot Traherne goes night hunting for fox in Virginia, he learns about unworthy men from the old-timers drinking moonshine around the fire and makes his own choices. Who could have anticipated that the same impulse that won him his old bluetick coonhound would lead him to his new wife and the hounds of Annwn? Every choice has a cost, he realizes, but never a regret. This short story takes place between the events in To Carry the Horn and The Ways of Winter.

AN IMPULSIVE WEDDING — CAN HE BUILD A LIFE AMONG STRANGERS? A short story from The Hounds of Annwn. Angharad hasn’t lived with anyone for hundreds of years, but now she is ready to tie the knot with George Talbot Traherne, the human who has entered the fae otherworld to serve as huntsman for the Wild Hunt. As soon as she can make up her mind, anyway. George has been swept away by his new job and the people he has met, and by none more so than Angharad. But how can she value the short life of a human? And what will happen to her after he’s gone? This short story takes place between the events in To Carry the Horn and The Ways of Winter.

Timon, later a misanthrope, is a wealthy and generous Athenian gentleman. He hosts a large banquet, attended by nearly all the main characters. Timon gives away money wastefully, and everyone wants to please him to get more, except for Apemantus, a churlish philosopher whose cynicism Timon cannot yet appreciate. He accepts art from Poet and Painter, and a jewel from the Jeweller, but by the end of Act 1, he has given that away to another friend.

NO ONE WILL BELIEVE THAT A SMALL GIRL HEARS THINGS NO ONE ELSE CAN, BUT SHE DOESN’T CARE — SHE’S ON A MISSION. A short story from The Hounds of Annwn. A very young Rhian discovers her beast-sense and, with it, the call of a lost hound. It’s not safe in the woods where cries for help can attract unwelcome attention, but two youngsters discover their courage in the teeth of necessity. This short story takes place before the events in To Carry the Horn.

The sun was shining so brightly through the foremost windows of the old schoolhouse in Upper Wood, that the children of the first and second classes appeared as if covered with gold. They looked at one another, all with beaming faces, partly because the sun made them appear so, and partly for joy; for when the sunshine came through the last window, then the moment approached that the closing word would be spoken, and the children could rush out into the evening sunshine. The teacher was still busy with the illuminated heads of the second class, and indeed with some zeal, for several sentences had still to be completed, before the school could be closed. The teacher was standing before a boy who looked well-fed and quite comfortable, and who was looking up into the teacher’s face with eyes as round as two little balls...

Book Bundle for The Hounds of Annwn: Books 1 & 2. ---- NEW JOB, NEW FAMILY, AND IN TWO WEEKS THE END OF A WORLD HE’S JUST DISCOVERED, IF HE CAN’T RISE TO THE CHALLENGE. To Carry the Horn: Book 1 of The Hounds of Annwn. George Talbot Traherne is just doing his job on a fine autumn morning, keeping the hounds together for the huntsman of the Rowanton Hunt in Virginia along the Blue Ridge Mountain. Doesn’t pay to get distracted by a white stag in unfamiliar territory, though. Next thing you know, you might find yourself… somewhere else. The land is the same but not the people. Their huntsman has just been murdered, and George is tapped for the job. It’s an emergency -- the Wild Hunt is only two weeks away, and if it doesn’t happen on schedule, the antlered god Cernunnos will take the realm from its ruler Gwyn ap Nudd and find someone who can mete out justice with the Hounds of Hell in his place. George throws himself into the task, finding strength in the mission and resources he never knew he had. The more he comes to feel at home, settling into his new responsibilities, the more he wants to stay and make a life for himself. He’s finally met someone worth spending his life with, even if she’s just a bit older, a mere fifteen hundred years or so. Can he keep the Wild Hunt on track despite the attempts to thwart it? Will he be accepted by those he wants to defend who view his timely presence and his human blood with suspicion? Above all, what does Cernunnos want of him and how far will he go? Can he survive the attention of a god? Readers who are familiar with the sources of Arthurian literature such as the Mabinogion will recognize many of the characters, flourishing still in the world we cannot quite reach. ---- TRAPPED BEHIND ENEMY LINES, CAN HE FIND THE STRENGTH TO DEFEND ALL THAT HE VALUES MOST, OR EVEN JUST TO SURVIVE? The Ways of Winter: Book 2 of The Hounds of Annwn. It’s the dead of winter and George Talbot Traherne, the new human huntsman for the Wild Hunt, is in trouble. The damage in Gwyn ap Nudd's domain reveals the deadly powers of a dangerous foe who has mastered an unstoppable weapon and threatens the fae dominions in both the new and the old worlds. Secure in his unbreachable stronghold, the enemy holds hostages and has no compunction about using them in deadly experiments with newly discovered way-technology. Only George has a chance to reach him in time to prevent the loss of thousands of lives, even if it costs him everything. Welcome to the portrait of a paladin in-the-making, Can he carry out a rescue without the deaths of all involved? Will his patron, the antlered god Cernunnos, help him, or just write him off as a dead loss? He has a family to protect and a world to save, and little time to do it in.

A priest and the chorus of Thebans arrive at the palace to call upon their King, Oedipus, to aid them with the plague. Oedipus had sent his brother-in-law Creon to ask help of the oracle at Delphi, and he returns at that moment. Creon says the plague is the result of religious pollution, caused because the murderer of their former King, Laius, had never been caught. Oedipus vows to find the murderer and curses him for the plague that he has caused.

A Science Fiction Story Bundle from the collection There's a Sword for That. THE VISITOR Felockati is anchored to his permanent location underwater and misses the days of roaming his ocean world freely. But something new drops out of the sky and widens his horizons -- all the way to the stars. YOUR EVERY WISH Stealing the alien ambassador's dagger is a sure thing for Pete -- just what he needs to pay off his debts. Until he starts talking to it. There has to be a way to get something for himself out of the deal. Has to be.

In this fifth thriller featuring Dave Woolf, the unorthodox, hard-living lawyer-detective faces his toughest challenge yet. The disappearance of his friend Tim Dowell and the unexplained deaths of a number of Members of Parliament appear to be unconnected cases, but are they? Dave’s investigation leads him into a labyrinth of deals with crooks, allies, lovers and the highest echelons of government, but he must also take care of his fraught personal life, ensure the safety of Alton, his young son, and try to move on from the tragedies scarring his past. Loyalties shift, and secrets unfurl as Dave becomes embroiled in a sinister conspiracy, part criminal, part political, but always evil. He must uncover the truth behind Dowell’s disappearance, and find out who, if anyone, he can really trust as old friends and old enemies return for retribution and revenge.