Showing results for "The Stranger" in Literature & Fiction

INTRODUCED BY HAZEL HOLT 'I'm a huge fan of Barbara Pym' Richard Osman 'I'd sooner read a new Barbara Pym than a new Jane Austen' Philip Larkin When Barbara Pym died in 1980, she left a considerable amount of unpublished material. This volume contains an early novel, Civil to Strangers, three...

When Lisa Jones got the call to collect her aunt’s body, she didn’t expect to inherit a B&B along with it. That was before the rampaging camels, the priest with too-tight skin, and the discovery that a very permanent guest has been quietly occupying the back garden for forty-five years. At forty, Lisa had hit every wall New York had to offer.

La solitude à deux, tel était le rêve d'Emile et de Juliette. Une maison au fond des bois pour y finir leurs jours, l'un près de l'autre. Etrangement, cette parfaite thébaïde comportait un voisin. Un nommé Palamède Bernardin, qui d'abord est venu se présenter, puis a pris l'habitude de s'incruster chez eux chaque après-midi, de quatre à six heures. Sans dire un mot, ou presque. Et cette présence absurde va peu à peu devenir plus dérangeante pour le couple que toutes les foules du monde.

JIMMY “JIMBO” DOYLE, is a trailer-trash Floridian, on the road to obscurity. His politically incorrect comments and sexual escapades make him one of the most reckless protagonists of our morally and ethically-twisted times. Desperate and broke, he devises a plan to rent rooms in repossessed mobile-homes to the nation’s unwanted registered sex offenders. Despite his bi-polar, serial marrying mother’s every attempt to sabotage his success, Jimbo’s brainchild sparks an industry that makes him one of the richest and most hated men in America.

 In this delightfully inventive series of short solo sketches, an eclectic range of unusual individuals find themselves cheerfully engaging in a deeply un-British activity: chatting to a stranger. And in each scenario, the silent recipient of their confidences is the listener themselves. They may be a stranger you thought you knew, a stranger you've just met, or the only stranger in a room full of friends. But whatever the situation, they all want to open their hearts to us - and they're not shy about sharing.

Addison should be ecstatically happy, she’s about to marry a wonderful man. But something is wrong—she doesn’t know who she really is. A year ago, she was found bleeding on the side of the road, unable to remember how she got there. Or her own name. Or if she has a family. 

Novelist, poet and critic Kingsley Amis was one of Britain’s greatest postwar writers. A master of comic fiction, he came to fame in 1954, and won the 1986 Booker Prize for The Old Devils. Included in this collection are dramatisations of seven of his short stories and two novels, all imbued with his characteristic wit and social satire. These are complemented by readings of selected correspondence and an interview with Amis himself.

Set in Depression-era Savannah, Georgia, THE FRENCH STRANGER tells the story of Fred Dumas—a woman's pleasure specialist—who unknowingly kills Bunny Meyers, and is being hunted by two hit men set on him by her husband, a wealthy man who is running for mayor. This culminates into a cascade of dizzying absurdities that touch on a wide range of topics including: quantum and time theory, reincarnation, parallel universes, nirvana, baseball, World War I, chicken boxing, voodoo, Chick-O-Sticks, Ragnarök, and it answers the age-old question: if man made the chicken, did the chicken also make man?

Adrian Chase always thought the zombie apocalypse would be fun; you bash in a few heads, gather up some food, and go on your merry way. But when reporters and journalists in her news building begin turning into flesh eating monsters, however, she realizes it's very different than what she's seen in movies. Armed with barely any food, a couple of Nerf weapons, and a vague idea of what is happening, she and a rag tag team of employees fight to survive as long as possible in their situation.

Samantha Brooks assumed the hardest things she'd have to face in life were college exams and her slowly fracturing family. Then her father found the world's most powerful magic in his silverware drawer. Forcibly relocated to the secret elven capitol city of Evitankari, Roger Brooks bravely faced down the manipulative Witch and an ancient demon lord and miraculously came out on top.

Explore the world of wit and humor in 'The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories' by Mark Twain, where each story offers a delightful blend of satire, absurdity, and social commentary. This audiobook presents a collection of Twain's short stories that take a humorous look at various aspects of American society, from the follies of human nature to the quirks of small-town life. With Twain's trademark storytelling, you'll be transported to a world of clever twists, unforgettable characters, and biting humor.

Considered one of Twain's most important short works, The Mysterious Stranger tells the story of the devil coming to a medieval village in the persona of a beautiful, lovable, yet exasperatingly amoral young man. Befriending a small group of boys, Satan exhibits strange charm, compassion, and indifference as the tale comes to a surprising comclusion.

Aaron Cordic and Samantha Riske are a couple of 20-something hypochondriacs living in east-end Toronto. While Aaron works part-time at a bathroom supply store, donning surgical masks, plastic gloves, and a backpack full of sanitary products, Samantha hides herself away in their apartment, tip-toeing around naked and spying on the neighbours.

New park ranger Daphne Baum is a reformed good girl. Breaking free from her overbearing family as soon as she turned 18, she’s been on her own ever since. The life of a park ranger, moving from park to park, suits her just fine. Though still a rule follower, she’s okay with a little sin in her life. Every generation of Hill men has its black sheep. The general consensus among the family is that Odin Hill is the lucky bastard this go around. At 17, he blew out of town like an angry tornado only to return 15 years later withdrawn and secretive.

Mel Abrams has a secret identity, like a superhero, but instead of fighting crimes, he's the lead singer to a comedic band. He rocks out with two of his best friends in front of sold-out crowds. He's been single for years after his first love broke his heart. But one night, during one concert at one crowded venue, he brushes fingers with a fan and feels one of those life-changing sparks. The problem is, he didn't see the fan's face. How is he supposed to find his spark's identity without revealing his?

Forty-four-year-old Ruby Evans doesn’t want to be a "leftover girl". But finding a "forever man" is proving impossible. Suddenly single after 20 years of marriage, her husband is the only man she has ever slept with. But the one bit of security that she always thought she’d hold onto for the rest of her life is brutally ripped from her. Humiliatingly and cruelly made an ex when her husband trades her for a younger model, Chanel Zest, a longtime friend and motivational life coach, comes to Ruby’s rescue.

An enjoyable collection of 21 short stories that will make you smile, wonder about human nature and stifle a giggle. From the absurd to the thought provoking, the past to the present, this eclectic anthology of original tales takes an irreverent look at life, pokes a stick at officialdom, and explores the daft side of our existence.

Someone is paying a group of complete strangers a handsome amount of money to live together for one week. As they gather at the secluded home in the mountains, they quickly realize they all have very different personalities. As mayhem and mishap ensues, it becomes questionable if the little group can hold it together long enough to collect their reward - without killing each other in the process. All bets are off in this light-hearted and comical journey.

Two years on from the start of a devastating pandemic, food shortages are becoming critical, and rationing looms. So it’s more than embarrassing when a lorry full of luxury food for Scottish Virus Minister’s banquet goes missing. When Bernard and Maitland from the HET team find it, the food...

A steamy, best-selling tale of Long Island lust, written as a daring literary hoax by Newsday columnist Mike McGrady and two dozen of his colleagues. For talk show host Gillian Blake, the suburbs have long been a paradise. On the radio, she and her husband are Gilly and Billy, local media stars and "New York’s Sweethearts of the Air". At home they’re the envy of their neighbors. Only in the bedroom is their life less than perfect. When Gillian learns that her husband has a mistress, she takes revenge the only way she can. With each lover she takes, her lust multiplies.