A short story that goes with Bem Le Hunte's bestselling novel, 'The Seduction of Silence.'The Final Christmas, by Bem Le HunteI wrote The Final Christmas as a literary accompaniment to a novel I published in 2000, The Seduction of Silence, a story of five generations of an Indian family. A spiritual and emotional journey that traversed 100 years, three continents, this life and the next, The Seduction of Silence flourished with untold stories that couldn’t fit between the jacket sleeves produced by HarperCollins and Penguin, my publishers. The abundance of excess narrative somehow demanded recording. The Final Christmas is just one of the stories that evolved out of my novel: it tells of how the British finally left India, having stayed as uninvited guests for over 200 years. In The Seduction of Silence every character had a complex relationship with the British, and so in The Final Christmas, each of them translates Nehru’s triumphant ‘Freedom at Midnight’ speech to fit their individual ideologies. I hope you enjoy this short story, and if you do, I’d love to hear what you think of this and The Seduction of Silence, should you be willing to share your response at www.bemlehunte.com. Happy reading and thank you so much for sharing these stories with me!Praise for The Seduction of Silence“The Seduction of Silence is a work of persuasive imagination, of such scope, power and narrative charm that it does make you wonder, as with Salman Rushdie and Rohinton Mistry and others, whether all good modern writing has an essential connection with the Indian sub-continent.”Thomas Keneally, Booker Prize winning author of Schindler’s List“A splendidly conceived saga weaving the history of an entire culture into the portrait of one family: vivid, compelling, utterly fascinating.” Kirkus Review, US.“Passion, grief and glory infuse this novel, which is at once wholly original and yet squarely in the tradition of the great family sagas. In prose as vivid and arresting as a marigold, Le Hunte gives us five generations of seekers. Her account of what they find and what they lose is irresistible. I couldn’t put it down.”Geraldine Brooks, Pullitzer Prize winning author of March“This intricate tale moves across continents and time as it maps the reaches of the soul. Is Le Hunte an Anglo-Indian Allende? Or even a female Rushdie? You decide in a very worthwhile read.” Helen Elliott, Vogue.To buy a copy of The Seduction of Silence please visit www.bemlehunte.com or www.Amazon.com

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2022 BY VULTURE, LIT HUB, AND THE MILLIONS “A very funny, warm, and beautiful novel.” —Sheila Heti, author of Motherhood “Zambra's books have long shown him to be a writer who, at the sentence level, is in a world all his own.” —Juan Vidal, NPR.org A writer of “startling talent” (The New York Times Book Review), Alejandro Zambra returns with his most substantial work yet: a story of fathers and sons, ambition and failure, and what it means to make a familyAfter a chance encounter at a Santiago nightclub, aspiring poet Gonzalo reunites with his first love, Carla. Though their desire for each other is still intact, much has changed: among other things, Carla now has a six-year-old son, Vicente. Soon the three form a happy sort-of family—a stepfamily, though...

Kingpin Wifeys Part 5: If God Is For Us once again pushes the boundaries for the wifeys, Jada, Starr and TeTe. Jada seems to be done with Shamari and has received mixed-signals from Fresh. Is she ready to move on with her life or will she once again fall into the arms of a past love? Meanwhile is Starr and Q's separation permanent or will they reconcile and find their way back to each other? There's no doubt that TeTe has made a lot of enemies. Will her past finally catch up to her? Is this the end of her empire?In this hot, new episode, deadly alliances are formed, betrayal runs deep and a heartbreaking ending that will have you gasping for air.

When Desiree Johnson receives an unexpected call from her brother, Ernest, Jr., about their father, she and her sixteen-year-old son, Tyree, pack up and rush to her family's summer home in Idlewild. Desiree hasn't been to Michigan in over seventeen years, but when her family calls, she feels she has no choice but to answer. Arriving in the beautiful town, Desiree quickly realizes that no matter how long she has stayed away, the place still holds a special place in her heart. As the summer heats up, Desiree struggles to balance the joy of returning to the community that shaped her childhood with the overwhelming memories of the love and pain she suffered the last summer she spent there. Tyson Rockwell is taken aback by Desiree's return. Their relationship might have lasted only a few months each summer, but their connection was powerful. Tyson might have succumbed to family pressure and let Desiree go once before, but now that she's back, he vows it will...

Bittersweet is a mixture of thoughts and words to bring some new stories to your heart. The challenging plots and characters will lead you unto some fresh ideas that will enhance your joy of reading. The collection of stories will entertain you with second guessing and make you wonder. Life can be bitter or sweet and our trying times can sometimes push us further than we want to go.DARK HOLLOW CREEK/RETURN TO DARK HOLLOW CREEKThe surprising twists of the story come alive when a bus load of strangers are stranded in a snow storm and take lodge in an abandoned inn. While there, their lives begin to unravel as the storms moves on. The strangers intertwine with their own problems touching the lives of the others which create a surprising finish in their snowbound prison. Finally, they are set free and are on their way to go on with their lives. But, they have made a vow to each other to return to Dark Hollow in ten years for a reunion. FALSE WITNESSA judge picks up a prostitute hitchhiking in Mississippi. He had killed his wife and has her in the trunk of the car. He hires the prostitute to be a false witness to cover up his wife’s murder. The judge has everything worked out with his money and influence. All the prostitute has do is lie. Will it work? He seems to think so. What about you? All she has to do is just lie.DOUBLE TROUBLEWhen Tommy has an affair with another woman and she ends up pregnant, his wife Kimberly is haunted by his infidelity which later on leads to divorce. Revenge may seem sweet at times, but it can be bitter. When Tommy finds out that Kimberly is going to inherit some big money, he doesn’t want a share he wants it all. He then creates a plan to have her stalked, scared and murdered if that what it takes. He hires a set of twins to get the job done. (Double Trouble), do I need to say anymore. In the end, you will find an impressive conclusion which may be rewarding.ON THE CORNER OF PERRY STREETOn the Corner of Perry Street is a little different type of story. On the corner of Perry Street is a bus stop. Throughout the story, all different kinds of people catch the bus there. The bus stop is the only one in town and it is headed out of town. The bus riders who come that way have a lot to say as they wait for the bus.BRIDGE OVER MCKINLEY COUNTY RIVERA young couple and a child’s life are determined on the McKinley Bridge. Their lives will be changed forever by a man with a jealous rage and a lot of anger in his heart. Lives are turned around and changed forever through an incident that just happened. We all have done wrong. We all pay for our wrongs, but it is sad to say innocent players will suffer. Whether we know or believe it, our lives touch the lives of others sometimes without us knowing it.

First published in 1973, The Book of Eve has become a classic. When Eva Carroll walks out on her husband of 40 years, it is an unplanned, completely spontaneous gesture. Yet Eva feels neither guilt nor remorse. Instead, she feels rejuvenated and blissfully free. As she builds a new life for herself in a boarding house on the "wrong" side of Montreal, she finds happiness and independence -- and, when she least expects it, love.

Description: When Edward Jones the III accidently stumbles upon Dimension #3, he must fight for his life in the bitter, cold war against The Mastermind. Along the way, Edward realizes he cannot trust anyone, but can he trust himself to escape the rigors of Dimension #3? This humorous book is written by a 10-year-old boy for young readers.This book is apt for people who have doubts in mind about why they pray to God and they need answers. This book will provide you answers to almost all the things happening around you which people call supernatural. From the origin of The universe to the origin of religion and the level to which it has deteriorated. If you are willing to come out of the closet to being an atheist, this is the perfect book for you

Here's a very fun story for children about very smelly cheese. I wrote it after visiting a smelly cheese factory in France. That cheese was smelly, but the cheese is my story is far, far worse. Mr Smelleigh, the manufacturer, says it's the smelliest thing in the world. If it isn't, he'll eat his pet skunk.So he's in for trouble when Stanley and friends arrive for a guided tour of the factory ...Mr Smelleigh's great, great grandfather arrived from France with no money but a recipe for smelly cheese tucked in his sock. He built the famous cheese factory that Mr Smelleigh now runs. The cheese is so smelly that it makes cars break down and flowers wilt. But it's so delicious that nobody minds. Mr Smelleigh is sure that his cheese is the smelliest thing in the world. He's so sure that he tells people he'll eat his pet skunk if he finds something that's even smellier. So when Stanley comes along, wearing a pair of socks that he's worn all week, including in bed, is Mr Smelleigh in for a shock? What else lies in store for him? Will he still be making Smelleigh's smelly cheese after Stanley's visit? Read the story, laugh, and find out!

"A fast-paced and gripping thriller—expect several twists along the way." —Cosmopolitan Amid rumors of bartenders paid to spike drinks and then deliver drugged college women to paying, eager patrons, University of Cape Town (UCT) authorities move quickly to limit the damage—but the police don't want to believe there is a problem. A world away in Seattle, Carlos De Palma, the shadowy operator behind Dark Video, is plotting his survival strategy in the ever-changing Internet landscape. With his wealthy clientele clamoring for heightened thrills, Carlos begins tapping into a new service that blurs the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds. Meanwhile, UCT student Robbie is sent into a sinister underground world where no price is too high to pay to deliver every fantasy—no matter how twisted. Bitter Pill, part of Church's dark web trilogy, is a gripping thriller that sweeps through the intoxicating haunts of Cape Town's...

In the tradition of Bem Le Hunte's acclaimed novels, The Seduction of Silence and There, Where the Pepper Grows, this is a spiritual and emotional journey like no other – a richly realised and hugely entertaining story that straddles cultures, continents and generations.An encounter with Elephants with Headlights is a collision between east and west, modernity and tradition – between driverless cars and ancient lore – and a world that needs revolutionary reappraisal. In this world, Savitri, named after a Goddess, refuses outright to marry anyone. Her brother, Neel is intent on marrying an Australian girl called Mae, much to the displeasure of their mother, Tota, and father, Siddarth. But do they have the power to command love or destiny? Only the family astrologer, Arunji, knows, yet his truth is tempered by obligations to the family that transformed his life.Characters we come to love and care for teeter on the brink of a radically altered future, leaving...

Kiki Swinson's novels crackle with breakneck triple-twists, no-limits characters, and an unforgettably brutal portrayal of Southern life. Now she shatters all expectations as a young woman serving time must survive a prisoner-abuse conspiracy . . . Trust no one She killed her abusive boyfriend in self-defense. But in jail, violent female gangs paid off by her enemies keep her fearing for her life—and land her in the hospital. From there, a medical testing facility is her one dubious hope for some kind of safety. Watch your back But from the moment she hits the yard, she and other prisoners are victimized by illegal medical experiments. Injected with lethal diseases and made a test subject for experimental vaccines, she's clinging to determination by the slimmest thread—until she forms an alliance with a Corrections Officer. Survive the night...

Even in the prospering colony of New South Wales, it would be far-fetched to think a convicted man could consider marrying the daughter of a wealthy property owner. But Remy has larger problems to contend with than Sara's bigoted father. Forced to leave the woman he loves behind, Remy faces overwhelming odds and an ordeal that threatens to strip him of everything; his pride, his strength, health.Even in the prospering colony of New South Wales, it would be far-fetched to think a convicted man could consider marrying the daughter of a wealthy property owner.But Remy has larger problems to contend with than Sara's bigoted father. Forced to leave the woman he loves behind, Remy faces overwhelming odds and an ordeal that threatens to strip him of everything; his pride, his strength, his health-even his life.Sara has many struggles of her own and when Remy finally thinks he has a future with Sara within his grasp, he is sent to a place...

Alice Taylor brings the reader with her on her 80th birthday year. Alice had a big birthday on the horizon, the village was about to celebrate many milestones, and she had just received the gift of a book focusing her on the art of living well. So she decided to write about her year as it unfolded, to keep a journal of the big events, and record the twists and turns normal life brings to all of us in just one year. But 2018 turned out to be far from normal, with storms, snow blizzards, blistering sun, severe drought and water shortages. She describes the challenges of all these dramatic weather changes. Alice began the year wondering how she would feel about reaching eighty. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was just another milestone on a journey that is still varied and interesting. Here she writes about these feelings, and the many pleasant and challenging events of her eightieth year.

An ingenious, devastating, explosive novel about the ramifications of choice from "one of the most original and talented authors working today" (NPR)."How ought one to live?" This is the question that obsesses London-based publisher Ayush, driving him to question every act of consumption. He embarks on a radical experiment in his own life and the lives of those connected to him: his practical economist husband; their twins; and even the authors he edits and publishes. One of those authors, a mysterious M. N. Opie, writes a story about a young academic involved in a car accident that causes her life to veer in an unexpected direction. Another author, an economist, describes how the gift of a cow to an impoverished family on the West Bengal–Bangladesh border sets them on a startling path to tragedy.Together, these connected narratives raise the question: How free are we really to make our own choices? In a scathing, compassionate quarrel...

The second novel by the internationally celebrated writer Alejandro Zambra, a “short and strikingly original” (The New Yorker) book about the stories we spin for ourselves and our loved ones—now reissued by PenguinVeronica is late, and Julián is increasingly convinced she won't ever come home. To pass the time, he improvises a story about trees to coax his stepdaughter, Daniela, to sleep. He has made a life as a literature professor, developing a novel about a man tending to a bonsai tree on the weekends. He is a narrator, an architect, a chronicler of other people's stories. But as the night stretches on before him, and the hours pass with no sign of Veronica, Julián finds himself caught up in the slipstream of the story of his life—of their lives together. What combination of desire and coincidence led them here, to this very night? What will the future—and possibly motherless—Daniela think of him and...