Top list: Classics and poetry

This brand-new unabridged audio book of , the first part of J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic adventure, , is read by the BAFTA award-winning actor, director and author, Andy Serkis.The Fellowship of the RingThe Lord of the Rings

In a sleepy village in the Shire, a young hobbit is entrusted with an immense task. He must make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ruling Ring of Power – the only thing that prevents the Dark Lord Sauron’s evil dominion.

Thus begins J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic tale of adventure, which continues in and .The Two TowersThe Return of the King

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cosmos and renowned astronomer Carl Sagan’s international bestseller about the discovery of an advanced civilization in the depths of space remains the “greatest adventure of all time” (Associated Press).

The future is here…in an adventure of cosmic dimension. When a signal is discovered that seems to come from far beyond our solar system, a multinational team of scientists decides to find the source. What follows is an eye-opening journey out to the stars to the most awesome encounter in human history. Who—or what—is out there? Why are they watching us? And what do they want with us?

One of the best science fiction novels about communication with extraterrestrial intelligent beings, Contact is a “stunning and satisfying” (Los Angeles Times) classic.

This is the novel that ensured Fyodor Dostoevsky's place as a giant of Russian literature. First published in 1866, this legendary work continues to enthrall readers around the world and earn Dostoevsky legions of fans with every printing. Timeless, and breathtaking in scope, Crime and Punishment-the story of a young Russian intellectual's decision to murder a cruel pawnbroker and his subsequent intellectual and spiritual crisis-is one of the most famous novels in all of literature. This absorbing book attacks the overly logical nihilistic ideals of reason and science and proves that only through love, self-denial and suffering comes salvation. George Guidall's fluent interpretation of the Russian names enhances this deep, multi-leveled text, and liberates Dostoevsky's eternal prose with dimensions of color and feeling lost to the printed page alone.

An immediate bestseller upon its original publication in 1939, Dalton Trumbo's stark, profoundly troubling masterpiece about the horrors of World War I brilliantly crystallized the uncompromising brutality of war and became the most influential protest novel of the Vietnam era.

An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France…

An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France. But he arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stabbed body now lies face downwards in a shallow grave on a golf course.

But why is the dead man wearing his son’s overcoat? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse…

When four women leave their drab lives behind to go on holiday in Italy, their lives are changed forever by the Mediterranean. Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins, while part of the same ladies' club, have never spoken. Lady Caroline Dester and the elderly Mrs. Fisher join their holiday so as to mitigate expenses. As these women come together and learn more about themselves than they ever thought possible, they reveal their true personalities and the backdrops of their lives that tend to hinder them. Inspired by the author's own month-long trip to the Italian Riviera, this novel is noted as her most widely-read work.

Oliver Twist is a timeless classic that explores the harsh realities of 19th-century England through the eyes of a young orphan. Born in a workhouse and raised amidst cruelty and poverty, Oliver's life is a constant struggle for survival. Despite his dire circumstances, his pure heart and unyielding spirit remain unbroken.

When Oliver dares to ask for more food, his simple act of courage sets off a chain of events that leads him into a world of danger and adventure. Escaping the oppressive workhouse, he finds himself entangled with a gang of pickpockets led by the cunning Fagin and the menacing Bill Sikes. Along the way, Oliver encounters both villains and heroes, uncovering secrets about his past that could change his future forever.

A poignant tale of innocence, resilience, and redemption, Oliver Twist is a powerful critique of social injustice and a celebration of the human spirit. With unforgettable characters and a gripping plot, this masterpiece by Charles Dickens continues to captivate readers of all ages.

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023

""Haynes is master of her trade . . . She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories.”—Telegraph (UK)

The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar returns with a fresh and stunningly perceptive take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman.

They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster.

The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene’s temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge—on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon’s actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude.

Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman—injured by a powerful man—is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Delving into the origins of this mythic tale, Haynes revitalizes and reconstructs Medusa’s story with her passion and fierce wit, offering a timely retelling of this classic myth that speaks to us today.

The C. Auguste Dupin Trilogy includes the three short stories featuring C. Auguste Dupin.

Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin is a fictional character created by Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin made his first appearance in Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), widely considered the first detective fiction story. He reappears in The Mystery of Marie Rogêt (1842) and The Purloined Letter (1844). Dupin is not a professional detective and his motivations for solving the mysteries change throughout the three stories. Using what Poe termed ratiocination, Dupin combines his considerable intellect with creative imagination, even putting himself in the mind of the criminal. His talents are strong enough that he appears able to read the mind of his companion, the unnamed narrator of all three stories. Poe created the Dupin character before the word detective had been coined. The character laid the groundwork for fictional detectives to come, including Sherlock Holmes, and established most of the common elements of the detective fiction genre.

Included in this collection:

1. The Murders in the Rue Morgue is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his tales of ratiocination.

2. The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, often subtitled A Sequel to The Murders in the Rue Morgue, is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe written in 1842. This is the first murder mystery based on the details of a real crime. It first appeared in Snowden's Ladies' Companion in three installments, November and December 1842 and February 1843.

3. The Purloined Letter is a short story by American author Edgar Allan Poe. It is the third of his three detective stories featuring the fictional C. Auguste Dupin. It first appeared in the literary annual The Gift for 1845 (1844) and soon was reprinted in numerous journals and newspapers.

She’s the maddening, ridiculously cute trespasser who sneaks onto my property to play with my rocks. He’s the grumpy, unbelievably handsome rancher who has the best rocks to study in the area. After months of resisting the urge, I finally haul her over my shoulder to escort her off my land. After months of being clueless, I finally notice that his land isn’t the only thing hard around me. She’s so damn responsive. He’s so brawny and burly. The next time she sneaks in, I’m ready for her. The next time I sneak in, he shocks the heck out of me. To be fair, the woman is utterly injury-prone. To be clear, the man has apparently lost his ever-loving mind. I just want her to stay safe and out of trouble. So…I cuff her to the bed…for a few hours, tops, while I take care of some things that can’t wait. And now, I’m kind of curious how she’s going to react. His constant alpha protectiveness is sweet—but seriously? I should be more outraged by this. Really, I should be. But…I’m kind of curious what’s going to happen next.

Lieutenant-General von Rabbek is a local aristocrat, who invites the officers of the Reserve Artillery Brigade to a cup of tea with brandy. Of all the guests, Ryabovitch is the most unpleasant one. While doing his best to avoid talking to people, Ryabovitch enters a dark room, where he an unknown woman surprises him by kissing him, then running away. The unexpected kiss awakes Ryabovitch's curiosity and passion, and the man spends the rest of the evening searching for the mysterious woman.

Why does nobody like Ryabovitch? Why is he avoiding the other guests? Who was the woman that kissed him? Will he be able to find her again and what will happen if he does?

You can find all the answers in Anton Chekhov’s short story "The Kiss".

B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous classics is available to readers everywhere.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860 – 1904) was a Russian playwright and a master of the short novel. Besides literature, Chekhov was also practicing as a medical doctor for a large part of his life. Some of his most popular works are the plays "The Seagull", "Uncle Vanya" and "The Three Sisters", and the short stories "Ward No. 6" and "The Lady with the Dog".

"I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

When Benjamin Button is born he looks oddly like an old man. He's not interested in playing with other kids and he's too low on energy to participate anyway. When Benjamin turns 20 it dawns on his family that he is aging backwards. The younger he grows, the more he learns to embrace life. But can happiness prevail when you're on a different timeline than everyone else?

Both humorous and melancholic, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is a captivating short story that will make you think. In 2008, David Fincher adapted it to the oscar winning film of the same name starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous classics is available to readers everywhere.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was an American author, who wrote four novels and hundreds of short stories. He is most famous for 'The Great Gatsby' (1925) and for his tumultuous relationship with wife Zelda Fitzgerald during the Jazz Age.

When Milo Ames receives a troubling letter from his childhood nanny, Madame Nanette, he and Amory travel to Paris where they are soon embroiled in a mystery surrounding the death of a famous parfumier. Helios Belanger died suddenly, shortly before the release of his newest, highly anticipated perfume, and Madame Nanette, who works for the family, is convinced that her employer's death was not due to natural causes. The more Amory and Milo look into the motives of industry rivals and the Belanger heirs who are vying for control of his perfume empire, the more they are convinced that Nanette may be right. When secrets unfold and things take a dangerous turn, Amory and Milo must work quickly to uncover the essence of the matter and catch a killer before the scent goes cold.

Rupi Kaur performs the first-ever recording of the sun and her flowers, her second #1 New York Times bestselling collection of poetry and prose. This production was recorded in 2021 along with the brand-new audio edition of milk and honey and the debut audio recording of home body.

Divided into five chapters, this volume is a journey through the life cycle of wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. It is a celebration of love in all its forms.

JAMES BOND INVESTIGATES A VILLAIN WITH THE POWER TO LAUNCH A NUCLEAR WARHEAD

Sir Hugo Drax is a multimillionaire tycoon and war hero, revered by the British public for his new Moonraker missile defense system. But there’s more to this enigmatic millionaire than he lets on. When M suspects Drax of cheating at cards, he is baffled that the patriot would risk his reputation and his rocket program on a game, so he assigns Bond to infiltrate Drax’s circle.

As 007 probes the activities at the Moonraker base in the days leading up to the beloved rocket’s maiden launch, he learns the truth about Drax’s battle scars, his wartime allegiances—and his murderous plans for the deployment of Moonraker.

No Longer Human (1948, Ningen Shikkaku / A Shameful Life / Confessions of a Faulty Man) was an attack on the traditions of Japan, capturing the postwar crisis of Japanese cultural identity. Framed by an epilogue and prologue, the story is told in the form three notebooks left by Ōba Yōzō, whose calm exterior hides his tormented soul.

Osamu Dazai was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th century Japan. A number of his most popular works, such as Shayō (The Setting Sun) and Ningen Shikkaku (No Longer Human), are considered modern-day classics in Japan.

Japanese novelist and a master storyteller, who became at the end of World War II the literary voice and literary hero of his generation. Dazai's life ended in double-suicide with his married mistress. In many books Dazai used biographical material from his own family background, and made his self-destructive life the subject of his books.

Famous works of the author Osamu Dazai: The Setting Sun, Run, Melos!, Winter's firework, I heard it in this way, No Longer Human, Good-Bye.

One of the most popular novels released in the 1920s on the hedonistic Jazz Age, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was declared the great American novel by Edith Wharton. Told from the point of view of a blonde flapper named Lorelei in the form of her diary, this novel follows her adventures around the world in search of a gentleman companion who can elevate her position within society. As Lorelei cycles through multiple men, she discovers things about herself and the way that she lives her life in retrospection—while also chronicling her changing moods and petty disputes with her brunette companion, Dorothy. Hilarious and a true classic, this revered novel transcends decades and continues to be relatable in this day and age.

This story talks about social class at universities in the late 1800s and it also looks at the idea of scholarships. The main character is the son of a cobbler and he's at university on a scholarship, unlike the other students who are from wealthy families who are able to pay for their education.

John Steinbeck (1902 – 1968) was the winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. The novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ (1937) is the story of two migrant field workers in California during the Great Depression. Two friends, George Milton and the strong but simple-minded Lennie Small, share a dream of owning their own piece of land. When they get jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley, the fulfilment of their dream seems to be within reach. Then tragedy strikes. The themes include kindness, the bonds of friendship and the cruelty of this world.

Jules A word of advice? Never fall in love with an Englishman in New York. If you do, chances are that he’ll captivate your soul and never let you go. Take me, for instance. For the last thirteen years, I’ve heard “So This Is Love” on repeat every time I think of Simon Harrison. If this is love, it kind of sucks. Especially given that Simon only ever saw me as his friend before proceeding to marry my supposed best friend. The worst part is that I thought for once in my life someone saw me. That he saw me. But I was wrong. So wrong. Or was I? Simon Thirteen years ago, I made a colossal mistake without even knowing it when I let Jules Carmichael disappear from my life. I had no idea the woman I always thought of as my best mate could have been so much more if I’d only opened my eyes to see what was right in front of me. But now that I find myself divorced and face-to-face with the lovely creature again, she wants nothing to do with me, and it’s driving me mad. If she could only see that I’m not the daft younger man who let her slip away, I have a feeling we could have something unforgettable. USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Peel presents an unforgettable long-lost friends to lovers story that will curl your toes and warm your heart.