House Classics

The chilling classic that inspired the new Netflix horror drama, "The Fall of the House of Usher". Venture, if you dare, into the House of Usher... The narrator visits his friend, Roderick Usher in his decaying mansion, only to witness the harrowing unravellings of Usher's mind and the dark family secrets lurking beneath the crumbling ancestral home. A classic tale of gothic horror that has haunted readers for generations.

Another wonderful Dickens short story combining spectral images with Christmas. Wonderful turns of phrase and digressions throughout. To name but one, “faithful obstructions”, for servants - in other words, easier to do it yourself if not for pride of position. Playful, fun, and illuminating. One of his less listened-to stories; well worth it for anyone, but especially for fans.

The Toll House, standing alone by the wayside under nodding pines, with its streamlet and water-tank; its backwoods, toll-bar, and well trodden croquet ground; the ostler standing by the stable door, chewing a straw; a glimpse of the Chinese cook in the back parts; and Mr. Hoddy in the bar, gravely alert and serviceable, and equally anxious to lend or borrow books; dozed all day in the dusty sunshine, more than half asleep. There were no neighbours, except the Hansons up the hill.

V tot rokovoj vecher Ronal'd Ader vernulsja iz kluba v desjat' chasov. Ni odnogo zvuka ne donosilos' iz komnaty do dvadcati minut dvenadcatogo, poka mat' Adera, ledi Mjejnus, i ee doch' ne vernulis' domoj. Oni podnjali trevogu, i dver' v komnatu syna vzlomali. Neschastnyj junosha lezhal na polu, golova ego byla izurodovana revol'vernoj pulej. Jeto zagadochnoe proisshestvie i dolzhen rasputat' Sherlok Holms.

The Bluesman - musician, magician, lethal killer. Thrown to Earth from a parallel universe, the Bluesman seeks to save our world from being overrun by the horrid, mutated creatures that came with him. Armed with magic, skill, and his companion, Scotch, he faces these monsters hoping to create a peaceful world for all. In Death House Jam Session, an after hours barroom jam session turns deadly when a ferocious monster that likes dark places attacks.

The year is Three Rabbit, and the storm is coming…The coronation war for the new Emperor has just ended in a failure, the armies retreating with a mere 40 prisoners of war - not near enough sacrifices to ensure the favour of the gods. When one of those prisoners of war dies of a magical illness, ACATL, High Priest for the Dead, is summoned to investigate.

Anne's own true love, Gilbert Blythe, is finally a doctor, and in the sunshine of the old orchard, among their dearest friends, they are about to speak their vows. Soon the happy couple will be bound for a new life together and their own dream house, on the misty purple shores of Four Winds Harbor. A new life means fresh problems to solve, fresh surprises. Anne and Gilbert will make new friends and meet their neighbors: Captain Jim, the lighthouse attendant, with his sad stories of the sea.

This short story is taken from Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit by Joel Chandler Harris. Uncle Remus is a collection of animal stories, songs, and oral folklore collected from southern black Americans. Many of the stories are didactic, much like those of Aesop's Fables and Jean de La Fontaine's stories. Uncle Remus is a freedman who serves as a story-telling device, passing on the folktales like the traditional African griot to children gathered around him. Award-winning audiobook narrator and producer Mike Vendetti portrays the kindly old gentleman telling the story.

A Doll's House deals with the life of a married woman who lacked opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male-dominated society. It caused a stir at the time, arousing sensation and controversy that went far beyond the world of theater.

One of the earliest short stories of the horror genre, Ambrose Bierce’s A Vine on a House tells the compelling story of the Harding family. When Matilda Harding mysteriously vanishes, people begin to notice that a vine growing on the Harding house bears an uncanny resemblance to her. The events that unfold next are terrifying to the Harding family...and quite possibly to the listener as well. You will be riveted to the end of this old-fashioned ghost story.

A Vine on a House is a classic Gothic haunted house story. The old abandoned Harding house, which is now overgrown by an unusual vine, has a strange and sinister story behind it. Years before, the mother of the household disappeared suddenly. Two years later the family abandoned the house. More recent visitors have discovered the vine growing up the front of the house behaving very oddly. Finally the local authorities decide to dig up the vine....

In the northern outreaches of the Canadian wilderness, it was understood that the Hudson Bay Company governed all trading, and one factor named Galen Albret took his position seriously. Free traders, or those who dared try to do their trading outside of the Company, found themselves having to face Galen Albret and his methods of dealing with them. One or two offenses he might tolerate, but for those who repeatedly refuse to acknowledge his warning out, he would send them on “La Longue Traverse” through the wilderness without supplies, and from which they seldom returned.

At its heart, Bleak House is a 19th-century mystery and legal drama. This Charles Dickens novel tells the story of Esther Summerson and her quest to unravel the mystery of her true identity. Orphaned as an infant, Esther is raised by Miss Barbary. Esther’s cruel guardian’s sadistic method of celebrating Esther’s birthday every year not only raises questions but shatters her sense of self-worth. When Esther does discover her true identity, it changes the course of her life.

Katherine Mansfield's heartbreaking story of playground bullying. The Kelvey children are excluded from the schoolyard crowd because they come from a poor family with more than a hint of disreputableness about them. When the Burnell children are given a doll's house and invite their school friends two by two to see it, only the Kelveys are excluded. Until one day, Kezia Burnell decides to invite the Kelveys in to see it....

"Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English writer and one of the foremost modernists of the 20th century. During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a central figure in the influential Bloomsbury group of intellectuals." (Wikipedia)

The old man had the oldest house and the oldest home furnishings. All his friends had passed on, but an unlikely friendship develops between the old man and the young boy. The houses and home furnishings speak and create a unique atmosphere when the boy visits. Perhaps the old house is a suitable euphemism for the life we give to memories.

Nora, a banker's pampered and petted wife, forges a signature to obtain money for her ailing husband. The play's theme, touting a woman's independence, shocked audiences at the time of its premiere.

Adeline Virginia Woolf (January 1882-1941) was an English writer and one of the preeminent modernists of the 20th century. Her stories often seem to take the form of a stream of consciousness. 'A Haunted House' tells the story of a ghostly couple flitting from one room to the next in search of their hidden treasure...but what is it?

Happy House by Jane D. Abbott (1881-1968) was recently released into the public domain. It is a lovely, articulate look at life as a recent college graduate in 1920s America. Writing in the vein of Louisa May Alcott et. al., Ms. Abbott delights in this tale of two young women who share a name and decide on an identity switch that sends one of them on the trip of a lifetime. A plethora of high-spirited New Englanders peoples this tale performed by professional actor and narrator Sara Morsey.

Bleak House is one of a series of retellings of classic literature by publishers Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and themes, Real Reads also imitate the original author's style.