American Short

Young, impressionable Aubrey is fascinated by the enigmatic Lord Ruthven, and accompanies him on a tour to Europe. But Aubrey develops a growing distaste for Lord Ruthven’s sinister and grotesque conduct - especially as it concerns human blood. This novella, penned during that tempestuous night in Switzerland amongst such notables as Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and Mary Shelley, served as the great inspiration for Bram Stoker to create Dracula.

Lunchtime Chronicles: The Nooner was written by USA Today Bestselling Author Reana Malori Forbidden desire can be sexy. Joy was not frigid. Her ex-boyfriend made that claim just before he walked out the door —after she discovered he was cheating. But something about his words lingered long after their disastrous relationship ended. Focused and career-driven, she had no time for men who couldn't handle her in the bedroom or outside of it. Loneliness was not a good bedfellow, and she was tired of not having someone by her side at night. It was fun exploring her newly awakened desires alone....

Many black artists nowadays, whether in rap, hip pop, pop, or another genre, have caused American teens and many others to be influenced by their slang, fashion, and their way of entertainment.

(This story used to be part of the Mail-Order Bride of America Series. It is the same story but has brand new cover and new series name.) Clara is one of the lucky ones. At the age of fifteen, she is chosen to live at Mary’s Home for Girls, a home that takes in girls who need a second chance. She wants to jump at the chance to leave the orphanage she has been living at for the past year, but there was one problem; she would need to leave her little brother, Cooper, behind. She decides to go, with the idea that in a few years, she will be able to get a job and support Cooper. Five years ...

An American cult figure, Paul Bowles has fascinated such disparate talents as Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg, Truman Capote, William S. Burroughs, Gore Vidal, and Tobias Wolff. From “The Delicate Prey” to “Too Far from Home,” this definitive collection celebrates the Bowles’s masterful artistry in short fiction.

Silent Sisters: Profiles of the short lives of Karen Carpenter, Patsy Cline, Cass Elliot, Ruby Elzy, Janis Joplin and Selena Quintanilla-Perez. These talented Twentieth Century American songstresses worked diligently to propel themselves to stardom. Together, they sang it all: from Broadway tunes to classical, from folk and spirituals to popular songs and blues, and from country music to Tejano/Latino. Their triumphs and tragedies are told here with an eye to the possibility that exhaustion from relentless travel schedules may have influenced the dramas and anxieties surrounding their early...

Hot Mr. Scrooge is my neighbor. Hope The man loathes Christmas. What person doesn’t warm up to the best holiday of the year? The cabin I purchased mentioned it needed light work, not a gut renovation. Looks nothing like the picture. The brooding beast next door said he’d help spruce up the place if it will get me to leave him alone. Deal. Because who wants to be around the Grinch longer than they have to? Even if he’s tall. Has a gorgeous face you can stare at all day. And a body you’d love to mount on your sleigh repeatedly. Then I wondered could I help Mr. Non-Christmas ...

"Nine Lives" by Kiki Swinson: Wild-card Aiden. Dead-shot Ava. Killing nine targets in 10 days will be this brother-sister hit team's biggest score yet. But as Ava sets up their final target, she falls hard for him and a chance at a normal life. "The Crushed Ice Clique" by Noire: At first all ghetto princesses Honore and Cucci want is quick cash-flow. But after sexing jewelry distributor Slimy Sam and learning his illegal tricks of the trade, they assemble a crack team of thieves for one dazzling scam.

Rodeo star Chance Whitaker returns home after an injury, tasked with managing his family’s struggling ranch and wedding venue. There he crosses paths again with Seren Goodwin, his gorgeous former classmate who now runs the local floral shop. Though Serena initially bristles at Chance’s cocky charms, trusting him means taking the ultimate risk. As a relentless unwanted suitor threatens Serena, Chance is determined to break through her walls and prove he’s always been her best match in their quaint small town. But will this playboy-turned-rancher win her heart for good?

It’s 1974 in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and 15-year-old Justine grows up in a family of tough, complicated, and loyal women, presided over by her mother, Lula, and Granny. After Justine’s father abandoned the family, Lula became a devout member of the Holiness Church - a community that Justine at times finds stifling and terrifying. But Justine does her best as a devoted daughter, until an act of violence sends her on a different path forever.

I am THAT wife. I am Suzy Homemaker. I don't go anywhere; don't do much of anything. I stay home, I cook, I clean, I take care of my man. I am faithful to my man. I am a fraud. I'm not happy, least not completely. I am unfulfilled. I'm missing something. My husband is a great man but he doesn't get my motor running or my heart racing. And when was the last time he made my panties wet? Has he ever made my panties wet? Our sex life, when it happens, is vanilla at best. But I make it work, you know? Because that's what wives do. But then one day, I am accosted by a sexy, demanding, enticing ...

“What's most compelling about a scientific story is the way it challenges us to think about the concepts we take for granted,” writes guest editor Carl Zimmer in his introduction. The essays in this year’s Best American Science and Nature Writing probe at the ordinary and urge us to think more deeply about our place in the world around us.

Una saga épica a través del tiempo y las eras. Una década. Luego un siglo. Y así, hasta el fin de los tiempos. Crónicas de una leyenda te sumerge en una serie de cuentos que narran momentos clave en la historia de una civilización y sus personajes. Cada etapa transforma el mundo, pero su esencia permanece inalterable. Descubre los hitos que forjan el destino de una civilización. Vive las historias de personajes que trascienden el tiempo. Reflexiona sobre tu lugar en la historia: ¿En qué época vives tú? Ideal para amantes de la fantasía épica y las narrativas históricas. ...

Like Gloria Naylor’s The Women of Brewster Place, Sidik Fofana’s electrifying collection of eight interconnected stories showcases the strengths, struggles, and hopes of one residential community in a powerful storytelling experience. Each short story follows a tenant in the Banneker Homes, a low-income high rise in Harlem where gentrification weighs on everyone’s mind. We root for these characters and more as they weave in and out of each other’s lives, endeavoring to escape from their pasts and blaze new paths forward for themselves and the people they love.

AN AFRICAN AMERICAN URBAN ROMANCE AND BESTSELLING SERIESAfter almost six years, Maceo and Chrissy King marriage could be over with. Maceo has completely ignore his vows. Especially the part, ‘forsaking all others.’ Cheating is his side hobby, and been faithful doesn’t exist. With Maceo being extremely sexy, arrogant, and successful, it takes a strong man to turn down some wet panties. Even though he loves his wife Chrissy, he keeps a sidepiece on standby. He can’t help himself. Maceo has a weakness for fine, freaky women. The King’s marriage looks perfect from the outside looking ...

A wonderful collection of short stories" by some of the all-time great American writers: 1. "The Diamond Lens" by Fitz James O’Brien; 2. "Titbottom’s Spectacles" by George William Curtis; 3. "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe; 4. "The Eyes of the Panther" by Ambrose Bierce; 5. "The Lightning Rod Man" by Hermann Melville; 6. "Seeds" by Sherwood Anderson; 7. "Who Was She?" by Bayard Taylor; 8. "The Man who stole a Meeting House" by John Townsend Trowbridge; 9. "Memoirs of a Yellow Dog" by O. Henry

Roxie Stillwater’s father gets her a job with his oldest friend, the CEO of a software company, Griffin Graham. Roxie and Griff form an instant attraction and connection – but Griff is old enough to be her father. How can she have a love relationship with her boss? What will her father say? Roxie knows her dad will kill them both if he finds out. And yet more trouble arrives when Griff’s ex-wife decides she wants Griff for her own. Sneaking behind her father’s back makes Roxie very uncomfortable, but she’s helplessly falling in love with Griff. Nor does she dare tell her dad. How ...

My Confession: "I'm falling for my girlfriend's dad." Cameron is straight. He planned on marrying his girlfriend Samantha after graduation, but when he caught her cheating with his best friend, Bradley, his heart broke in two and he temporarily gave up on love. Later that evening, an older, masculine, and muscular man named Clint showed up at his door. He needed assistance with a problem that only Cameron could help solve. Cameron felt a strong physical attraction and fell immediately under his charming and charismatic spell. There was only one problem, the man he was attracted to is his ...

Hot Water Music is a collection of short stories by Charles Bukowski, published in 1983. The collection deals largely with: drinking, women, gambling, and writing. It is an important collection that establishes Bukowski's minimalist style and his thematic oeuvre.

Alexander Chee, an essayist of “virtuosity and power” (Washington Post), selects twenty essays out of thousands that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year.