Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" is a gripping psychological masterpiece that delves deep into the tormented mind of its protagonist, Raskolnikov, and explores themes of morality, guilt, and redemption. Set in 19th-century St. Petersburg, Russia, the novel follows the impoverished and intellectually gifted former student, Raskolnikov, who becomes consumed by a radical idea. He believes that by committing a morally justifiable murder of...

"Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad is a gripping exploration of the human soul set against the mysterious backdrop of the African Congo. This novella takes readers on a haunting journey into the depths of human darkness, both in the heart of the African wilderness and within the hearts of its characters. The story follows Marlow, a sailor who embarks on a voyage up the Congo River in search of Kurtz, an enigmatic ivory trader. As Marlow travels...

Step into the Roaring Twenties with "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This iconic novel immerses you in the glitz and glamour of the Jazz Age, where mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby hosts extravagant parties in pursuit of lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Through the eyes of Nick Carraway, the story unravels, revealing the dark underbelly of wealth and privilege. With lyrical prose, Fitzgerald explores the American Dream, love, and obsession. A...

"The Mayor of Casterbridge" is an 1886 novel by the legendary English writer Thomas Hardy. One of Hardy's "Wessex" novel (a fictional region of Britain that Hardy invented), the book is generally acknowledged as one of the author's masterpieces. The story, set in the town of Casterbridge, concerns a married young farmer named Michael Henchard who, one drunken night, auctions off his wife Susan and baby daughter Elizabeth-Jane to a passing sailor,...

Alicia Berenson is a famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, living in a posh area of London. One evening, her husband Gabriel returns home late. Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word.

"Outline follows a novelist teaching a course in creative writing during an oppressively hot summer in Athens. She leads her students in storytelling exercises. She meets other visiting writers for dinners and discourse. She goes swimming with an elderly Greek bachelor. The people she encounters speak, volubly, about themselves: their fantasies, anxieties, pet theories, regrets, and longings. And through these disclosures, a portrait of the narrator...

William Golding's classic novel of primitive savagery and survival is one of the most vividly realized and riveting works in modern fiction. The tale begins after a plane wreck deposits a group of English school boys, aged six to twelve on an isolated tropical island. Their struggle to survive and impose order quickly evolves from a battle against nature into a battle against their own primitive instincts. Golding's portrayal of the collapse of social...

AYN RAND'S CLASSIC WORK! Hailed as one of Russian-American writer Ayn Rand's greatest works, Anthem, a dystopian fiction novella, was a clear predecessor to her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In it she examines a frightening future in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values. All decisions are made by committee, all people live in collectives, and all traces of individualism have been wiped out. A...

"Daphne and Amber Parrish are thrust back into one another's lives upon the resurgence of a long-forgotten threat, forcing a vicious game of cat and mouse where everything is on the line, in this thrilling sequel to the million-copy-bestselling Reese's Book Club Pick The Last Mrs. Parrish. Amber Patterson Parrish has come a long way from being an invisible wallflower. Her hard work and immaculate planning have paid off now that she's a prominent socialite,...