Washington Irving was an 18th century American short story writer, historian, and diplomat. He was born into a merchant family of Scottish/English descent and was the youngest of 11 children. Irving was one of the first American writers to become popular in Europe. He was admired by some of the best-known British writers, including Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, and Walter Scott. 

For a week, Brek Trigan has left behind the frigid nights and icy days of life on the mining colony he calls home. He's on holiday to his ancestral planet, and he finds a sparkling, welcoming world of riches and warmth. But the longer he remains, the more he begins to see cracks in the glistening façade. When civil unrest erupts, Brek's plans for a peaceful getaway are dashed. Suddenly he's drawn into a conflict that will change the fate of his people, whether he wants to be or not.

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical fiction first published in weekly installments in 1859. The plot takes place in London and Paris between 1775 and 1792. Eighteenth-century France and England are both ruled by fear and oppression. The upper classes live in luxury while common people suffer and starve. However, there is a difference. The novel starts with the words, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," and we soon learn of the major difference between the two countries. Enjoy this timeless classic!

Shakespeare writes about the plight of Romeo and Juliet with a lot of empathy and views their tragedy as a result of bad fate, rather than a problem with their characters. We sense from the very start that their relationship is doomed. Romeo and Juliet are portrayed as sincere and virtuous young people who are madly in love, but because of the feud between their families, their relationship has to end. As they won't even consider a separation, the only way out of the situation they find themselves in is by taking their own lives.

First published in 1843, it tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. 

Transgender people should be treated with the same dignity and respect as anyone else and be able to live and be respected according to their gender identity. Learning to be an ally to the transgender people in your life or to transgender people overall, is an ongoing process. Some ways to be a good ally are relatively simple and easy, while others require more time, energy, and commitment. 

A virus was unleashed, leading to a zombie apocalypse. No one thought that people would be able to turn into such horrible, violent creatures, even just in the metaphorical sense, let alone physically. Matthew was a retired soldier who quit the army after seeing his friends die. It’s hard for him to trust anyone, but in this crisis full of zombies, he will need to trust the group he’s stuck with to survive. Genevieve and Ellie are part of his group and are on a mission to find a cure to recover humanity.

 This set features three stories from the Majestic Cove cozy mystery series including: Chocolate, Clues, and Catastrophe, Pretzels, Problems, and Peril, and Cake, Coincidences, and Casualties.... As a private investigator, Melody Clue has seen a lot of crazy things on the job. Her latest case is filled with more twists and turns than she is used to. Melody was hired to investigate suspected infidelity. However, the deeper she gets into the case, the more she realizes that her hometown of Majestic Cove is hiding all sorts of different secrets. 

Sabrina Daley is still haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her sister 10 years before. Even though the case went cold long ago, she keeps holding out hope that one day she will discover what happened to her sister. Sabrina's life is turned upside down again when she discovers her friend's dead body in the alley way behind her family's coffee shop. If that isn't bad enough, after a week of investigating, the local police appear to be stumped. Terrified about a second case going cold in town, Sabrina decides to take matters into her own hands.

Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion that poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire....

Accepting employment as a governess after hard times hit her family, medieval scholar Rosalind Hawkins is surprised when she learns that her mysterious employer has no children and only wants her to read to him through a speaking tube.

The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe's most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry.

Gonzalo Guerrero and his mom survived the Great Tsunami of La Palma in 2029 when he was only four. Almost his entire family disappeared in the tragedy. Only Gonzalo and his mom kept afloat during the horrific wave that killed almost two million people around the world. Now, they have a bigger issue. She has lost her memory as a consequence of the traumatic brain injury she suffered during the cataclysm. 

Here is the tumultuous, heartrending, true story of the Romanovs - at once an intimate portrait of Russia's last royal family and a gripping account of its undoing. Using captivating photos and compelling first person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming (Amelia Lost; The Lincolns) deftly maneuvers between the imperial family’s extravagant lives and the plight of Russia's poor masses, making this an utterly mesmerizing listen as well as a perfect resource for meeting Common Core standards.

It is June 1884, a grey period for both the weather and Sherlock Holmes' mood. A lack of compelling cases has left him bored and close once again to the dull embrace of the needle. At the 11th hour, Inspector Gregson arrives with the promise of an impossible crime to solve. A murder has shattered the bucolic peace of the sleepy arable farmlands of Bedfordshire. The owner of a small stately home has been brutally killed while hosting a dinner party. But what and where is the murder weapon?