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Best Classic Fiction Anthologies & Collections

Nora Roberts's Bride Quartet
VISION IN WHITE Wedding photographer Mackensie “Mac” Elliot is most at home behind the camera for Vows, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into Carter Maguire—the bride-to-be's brother—in an encounter that has them both seeing stars. “Funny sparks fly...[Roberts’] gentle humor and likable cast will immediately endear this series to readers.”— Publishers Weekly.
Reviews
"I read this series in paperback and love them though my favorite all time set was time was and time and again."
"I bought the boxed set of Nora Robert’s Bride Quartet and I am so happy I did!"
"After planning my wedding and helping a friend plan hers, this quartet about a wedding business built up with four friends was a nice read to be back in the moment of planning - for others and for myself."
"I have just finished these four wonderful books the only thing that could make them better would be having the other weddings."
"The books are probably the best books I have read in a really long time."
"A story for every friend, so well-written and so intertwined."
"It's beautiful and silly and sad and messy and just like you imagine it would be."
"This is such a fun book and it really moves."
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Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Collection
The stories cover a period from around 1878 up to 1903, with a final case in 1914. in this collection you will find: Novels: • A Study in Scarlet • The Sign of the Four • The Hound of the Baskervilles • The Valley of Fear Short Story Collections: • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes • The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes • The Return of Sherlock Holmes • His Last Bow • The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. At over a thousand pages, the weighty tome is a perfect gift for budding amateur sleuths, and it is an ideal companion for a long stay on a desert island (or a leisurely trip through the English countryside). --Patrick O'Kelley Grade 7 Up-Four short stories of mystery and intrigue by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are performed radio theater style by the St. Charles Players: "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," "A Scandal in Bohemia," and "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot." The lack of strong female characters in these stories may warrant including alternate classic mysteries with strong women, such as Simon Brett's Mrs. Pargeter, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton, or Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax.
Reviews
"This is a beautiful, well constructed, and finely printed volume of the collected works of Sherlock Holmes. Cloth bindings are, of course, commonly used on big books, such as bibles and dictionaries, that are large and heavy and need to last a long time. * The text is printed on the small side, but I think it falls easily within the readable category (not always to be expected from a single volume edition of Sherlock!). This Knickerbocker Classics edition is much more affordable, and has the added benefit of matching a large number of other collections of other famous novels. * Best of all, it contains all 4 novels and 56 short stories -- the full collection, printed in order of publication. * Some may prefer to have their Sherlock divided into tiny, lightweight paperbacks that they can stuff in a jacket pocket or purse to read on the bus or at the coffee shop. But older readers, children, or individuals with bad eyesight may want to look for one printed on a larger font."
"In my quest to find the holy grail of Sherlock Holmes literature, aka; THE definitive collection of original, Conan Doyle penned stories, I actually ended up buying (and reading and rereading) 3 different versions. 2 - The Complete Sherlock Holmes: Volumes 1-4 (The Heirloom Collection) - http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007PT1PEY?redirect=true&ref_=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0. * The Heirloom Collection isn't the absolute best compendium of SH stories, but it is extremely good. Most importantly, it does contain all 4 novels and 56 short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, though not always in the exact same order as other editions -- making it a little confusing, when comparing different editions, to determine if all the stories are actually included (and they really are). 3 - The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Illustrated) (Top Five Classics Book 17) - http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=x_gr_w_bb?keywords=9781938938160&index=books&linkCode=qs&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20. * This is the one actually being reviewed here. This Top Five Classics edition includes all 4 novels and 56 short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. On a final note, The Adventure of the Cardboard Box IS included in the Top Five Classics book, but appears in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes novel, as opposed to other editions that include it in the collected short story novel, His Last Bow."
"The picture does no justice."
"Though the volume is immense (over 1000 pages), it was missing six stories, so I had to resort to a "real book" rather than my kindle edition to read all of Doyle's masterpieces."
"Absent is any of the flowery Victorian phrasing, these are told in a straightforward way that should be more closely emulated by the scores of writers following in Doyle's footsteps."
"The Scarlet Letter (first story) explains how Dr. Watson met Sherlock Holmes."
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Leaves of Grass (Coterie Classics)
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman from Coterie Classics. All Coterie Classics have been formatted for ereaders and devices and include a bonus link to the free audio book. This one, prepared in honor of the poem's 150th anniversary, will be hard to beat. The familiar litho of the young rough with open collar opens the book, and Reynold's terrific and informative afterword closes it, along with contemporary reviews (some written by Whitman himself) and Emerson's famous letter ("I greet you at the beginning of a great career...").
Reviews
"This quote, this one right here, is all you need to read in order to make up your own mind about this book."
"My favorite book for years."
"This is probably my favorite piece of literature across all genres."
"Wonderful Whitman for everyone."
"the poetry man."
"The cover of the copy I received was too light, and had a white sheen over it making it look extra cheap."
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Best Russian & Former Soviet Union Poetry

Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse (Penguin Classics)
Engaging, full of suspense, and varied in tone, it contains a large cast of characters and offers the reader many literary, philosophical, and autobiographical digressions, often in a highly satirical vein. Given a sinecure in the Foreign Office, he spent three dissipated years in St Petersburg writing light, erotic and highly polished verse. In 1824 he was transferred to his parents’ estate at Mikhaylovskoe in north-west Russia, where he spent two solitary but fruitful years during which he wrote his historical drama Boris Godunov , continued Eugene Onegin and finished The Gipsies . In 1829 he went with the Russian army to Transcaucasia, and the following year, stranded by a cholera outbreak at the small family estate of Boldino, he wrote his experimental Little Tragedies in blank verse and The Tales of Belkin in prose, and virtually completed Eugene Onegin .
Reviews
"Enjoyed this very much."
"Onegin is a 5 star story but this is hardly annotated- it had only 3 endnotes!"
"Needed for a report."
"Definitely the most poetic and beautiful translation I've read of Eugene Onegin, though less "accurate" than the Nabokov translation."
"since then, there have been several good new poetic translations into english, and this is one of them."
"For asn English scvore it was fine,however many companies are now performing this in Russian and I expected Schirmer editions to have included the Russian text by now."
"It is important to read the works of major writers from different cultures and if you are unfamiliar with Russian literature this is a good place to begin."
"I fully understand what Hofstadter meant when he said that after reading Falen's translation one gets the true sense of having read the original (this despite my not reading Russian)."
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Best Short Story Anthologies & Collections

Daddy's Christmas Date: A Single Dad Romance
After losing my wife, I thought love and marriage were out of the question. But my son decided he wanted a mom. And my meddling brother signed me up on a dating site. Six months to find a woman who’s smart, beautiful, wild in the sack and unimpressed by my money. Yeah right. That unicorn doesn’t exist.
Reviews
"A widower with a 7 year old son the hero is an ex-Air Force pilot and he now owns his own company and continues to fly. So, he has his share of women trying to hit on him but so far no real connection. He was very much in love with his wife, she died giving birth to his son. He starts a conversation with her and finds that he is very interested. They have a lot of fun and sex as they get to know each other and eventually fall for one another."
"Dani and Ty meet on a dating site that has been arranged by his brother and her aunt and seem to hit it off sexually, and intellectually however, Ty is still holding himself back emotionally."
"Ty, Dani, Bobby, and Blake's story is based around a sexy widower, with an adorable seven year old son, and the love that grows between them as a family unit, as well as Ty and Dani as a couple."
"There are a wide varity of genre - contempory, paranormal and post-apocoliptic with the common theme of single parent meeting or reconnecting with their one and only and the hero is very wealthy."
"There was humor, flirting, some idiocy (courtesy of our hero Ty) and forgiveness (Dr. Dani) for the HEA we romance readers love."
"Each one has their own problems to deal with they needed to deal with."
"I really enjoyed this book."
"I recommend this "super" romance to anyone who has tried a dating website!"
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Best Drama & Play Anthologies

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two: The Official Playscript of the Original West End Production: The Official Playscript of the Original West End Production
The playscript for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was originally released as a 'special rehearsal edition' alongside the opening of Jack Thorne's play in London's West End in summer 2016. When Albus hatches a plot to go back in time to save the life of Cedric Diggory—what Albus views as the biggest mistake his father made—time becomes distorted and Harry is left to examine his own life, his relationship with his son, and how love can sometimes be much more complicated than it seems. This is an interesting extension of the "Harry Potter" universe, but readers should go into it knowing that it's its own beast. Rowling didn't write it (much to the fury and vitriol of many fans), and it is in script form, so it loses some of the magic that won over millions of readers back when it all began.
Reviews
"I read the books 2-3 times per year since I was a child. These books are a part of me, I've named my children after characters in these books. I have waited for this book like the rest of you. I get more of a harry potter vibe from the fantastic beasts trailer than this entire book. I think the best way to go into reading this and saving yourself from despair is to read it as a fanfic and not the true works of rowling."
"I keep wondering if there's a therapy group where all the disgruntled fans can congragate and weep together. The entire 7 book series was about friendship, love and loyalty, and Harry knew that; and most importantly, knew that's what made him different from V. You're telling me, he, Ron and Herm didn't continue to live and instil those values in their children? Harry wouldn't have choosen work over time with his family, which after all he'd been through WAS ALL HE EVER WANTED. This new book is the worst kind of trash, the one that destroys the soul of our hero. Also, what they did to calm, measured, quirky, wise Dumbledore, making him a weepy, rude mess, who spoke in cliches, issuing a completely unnecessary "apology" to why Harry was at the Dursleys, when Dumbledore had already apologized profusely for that in HP5 AND severely told off the Dursleys in HP6 for their abusive behavior! And what a weak, floppy mess Harry was during the fight scene?!"
"I want to start this by saying that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I grew up with Harry, I went to midnight premiers of the books and movies. His character, all jokes no supporting and listening to Harry and Hermione. o In the last book when they are dropping off the children at the Hogwarts express, the kids are genuinely confused as to why everyone is looking at them and Ron makes a joke saying “I’m famous”. It is deduced that the kids do not know the extent of everything their parents went through to save the world. Let’s go back to that epilogue where they all see Draco with his family and a joke gets made about not playing with his son. Which then Hermione corrects and Ron says to beat him on test but not to get too cozy and marry him. She would have loved to mother the Dark Lords child; there would have been no greater honor. And then the gang goes to Malfoy manor there is no baby in sight. Voldemort would have wanted an heir; wouldn’t he have made it a horcrux and offered it more protection? I know she was horrible but I do think Harry would have deep feelings about his mother’s sister passing. Sirius Black escapes and the freaking muggle minister is alerted! But hey, this guy who tortured the Longbottoms into insanity he escapes and it’s cool. It’s sounding more and more as if this witch convinced herself that she is the heir of the dark lord. Cedric a character who was noble and good and died oh so tragically. This character who was loyal and kind and helped Harry turns DARK SIDE?!?! CEDRIC A DEAD EATER HAHAHAHA NOPE NOT FUNNY. Thank you for turning a good character and completely changing him for the worse. Thank goodness you did not include Sirius Black in your play. But wait not, here I got some polyjuice potion here in my back pocket and I just happen to carry my dad and his best friends hairs at all times. Harry duels Delphi (a eighteen year old) and she is stronger?"
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Best Horror Anthologies

Careful little eyes: An addictive, horrifying serial killer thriller (7th Street Crew Book 4)
Everyone else thinks he is just a drunk, but when his girlfriend is killed at night by a man with an axe, he knows he was right to be afraid. A copycat killer who slaughters people in their beds with an axe much like the original Axeman did almost a hundred years ago. Careful Little Eyes is the highly anticipated fourth installment of Willow Rose’s popular series revolving around the Cocoa Beach friends who call themselves the Seventh Street Crew. -Goodreads review 'She keeps you wanting to keep reading until the end and always keeps you guessing. - Goodreads review 'I love that Willow gives links to some of the articles she used in her research at the end of the book, very interesting' - Goodreads review Books in this series: What Hurts the Most (7th Street Crew #1) You Can Run (7th Street Crew #2) You Can't Hide (7th Street Crew #3) Careful Little Eyes (7th Street Crew#4).
Reviews
"Mary and Joey are frantic that Mary's brother, Blake, has taken their son Salter. The book could use some careful eyes to look for errors that were a bit a annoying for this reader."
"Well written."
"She tells multiple stories within a story and weaves them together beautifully."
"I have become addicted to the author Willow Rose."
"She is very talented at weaving the characters together to make you keep guessing."
"I've read all the books, and I think they're well written and captivating."
"Ms. Rose continues to have many characters who at the end all are explained fully."
"I have become very endeared with the 7th Street Crew!"
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Best Poetry Anthologies

100 Best-Loved Poems (Dover Thrift Editions)
Songs Of Experience by William Blake Sonnets From The Portuguese: 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough by Robert Burns The Destruction Of Sennacherib by George Gordon Byron She Walks In Beauty by George Gordon Byron Song by George Gordon Byron Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 50 Poems: 29 by Edward Estlin Cummings The Chariot by Emily Dickinson Dying by Emily Dickinson I'm Nobody! On His Deceased Wife by John Milton Poetry by Marianne Moore Summer's Last Will And Testament: A Litany In Time Of Plague by Thomas Nashe Anthem For Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe To Helen (1) by Edgar Allan Poe Miniver Cheevy by Edwin Arlington Robinson Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson A Birthday by Christina Georgina Rossetti Chicago by Carl Sandburg Fog by Carl Sandburg Sonnet: 116 by William Shakespeare Sonnet: 18 by William Shakespeare Sonnet: 73 by William Shakespeare Sonnet: 94 by William Shakespeare Ode To The West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley To A Skylark by Percy Bysshe Shelley The Emperor Of Ice-cream by Wallace Stevens Underwoods: Book 1: 21. by Walt Whitman Barbara Frietchie by John Greenleaf Whittier The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 by William Wordsworth Daffodils by William Wordsworth The World; Sonnet by William Wordsworth The Lover Showeth How He Is Forsaken by Thomas Wyatt The Lake Isle Of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats When You Are Old by William Butler Yeats -- Table of Poems from Poem Finder® Here are some of the most-loved poems in the English language, chosen not merely for their popularity, but for their literary quality as well.
Reviews
"The daylight that shines to curse the darkness."
"My daughter needed a poem book for school."
"I bought my man friend a copy and we read and talk about the poem chosen for that afternoon."
"pretty good collection of classic poems."
"My order came before the expected shipping date."
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Best American Literature Anthologies

Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived
Scalia Speaks will give readers the opportunity to encounter the legendary man more fully, helping them better understand the jurisprudence that made him one of the most important justices in the Court's history and introducing them to his broader insights on faith and life. "Reading Scalia Speaks — the marvelous collection of his speeches, lovingly compiled by his son and a former law clerk — brought Nino back to life for me." -Alan M. Dershowitz, The New York Times Book Review "This marvelous book surely will be required reading for anyone seeking to understand the mind of this great jurist and conservative thinker. “A treasure that captures Justice Antonin Scalia’s brilliance, wit, faith, humility and wide range of knowledge...Scalia speaks in his own words in this magnificent volume that should be on the bookshelf of every educated American.”. - Washington Post. Christopher J. Scalia , the eighth of Justice Scalia's nine children and a former professor of English, works at a public relations firm near Washington, D.C. His book reviews and political commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal , The Washington Post , TheWeekly Standard , and elsewhere.
Reviews
"In his later years on the bench, he became the most prominent member of the federal judiciary as he published law review articles, granted television interviews, and gave talks across the country. In a speech to the Dominican Order, the justice explained Thomas Aquinas believed any written code opposed to natural law was immoral and invalid. For him, Roe v. Wade and its case law progeny were a tragedy, not just as a member of the Catholic faith, but also for reading into the United States Constitution a right to abortion contained nowhere in the text. Another was the concern of many that the Constitution is a relatively barebones text and legislatures are often lethargic or unresponsive in crafting laws supported by broad swaths of the public, so Justice Scalia’s philosophy did not account for the challenges of the modern era. Whether those criticisms have merit is left to each individual reader, but undoubtedly Justice Scalia’s views continue to have an outsized influence on legal interpretation. Justice Scalia covered a wide range of other issues, including his general hostility to using foreign law to interprete American rights outside rare circumstances, eulogies lamenting the passage of time and friends, his pride in being a Catholic and Italian-American (emphasis on American), the value of a college education for newly-minted graduates, and an encomium on turkey hunting that may be the best defense of sportsmanship by a federal official since Herbert Hoover’s advocacy of fly fishing. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted in her touching foreword, “Now and then he would call me, or stop by my chambers, to point out a slip I had made in an opinion draft. Justice Scalia homed in on all the soft spots, energizing me to strengthen my presentation.” With the bitter partisan bickering that plagues both the Republican and Democratic parties, it is nice to know that tucked away in the far corners of government some people still have the capacity for personal respect during instances of professional disagreement. Even on occasions when one disagreed with him, the force of his character and intellectual acumen challenged his opponent’s preconceived notions and pushed them to make their own arguments sharper."
"Each speech is expertly seasoned with lovely and personal stories that cover the span of his life, thus, making each one a "delicious" read, leaving the reader craving the next one. At a time when America seems so divided by ideological lines, this book reminds us that we are blessed to live in a country where the character and contributions of one of us transcends politics and that true affection for those with whom we disgree is possible because people are so much more then any particular point of view. One final thought, as a longtime admirer of Justice Scalia who always seemed so much larger than life and exceptional in every way, I was thrilled to learn that he was not, much like me, a gifted speller."
"The mind of Justice Scalia, coupled with the moral compass that directed him, is so impressive, makes one cry out in agony for his loss to our highest court."
"The speeches range on faith, character, tradition, ethnicity, education, turkey hunting, and even the games and sports that a young Nino played on the streets of Queens in the 1940s."
"Caused me to read the constitution and Federalist Papers (of all things) to better understand the founders' bases for the U.S. government and protection of American of rights."
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Best British Literature Anthologies

The Case of the Broken Doll (An Inspector David Graham Cozy Mystery Book 4)
The Case of the Broken Doll is a gripping standalone mystery in Alison Golden’s bestselling Inspector David Graham series. With plot twists and turns and characters you'll grow to love, it’s easy to see why Golden’s books have been described as “captivating,” “unputdownable,” and “shouldn't be started late at night.”. Praise for the Inspector David Graham mystery series:"Wow! To get your free copy of The Case of the Screaming Beauty, the prequel to the Inspector David Graham mystery series, plus two more books, updates about new releases, exclusive promotions, and other insider information, sign up for the Cozy Mysteries Insider mailing list at: cozymysteries.com/graham.
Reviews
"Especially interesting was watching DI Graham do a thorough job of digging for clues that could have been missed ten years ago and guiding his staff in the techniques of good police work."
"When asked to look into a old, old cold case, DI Graham is at his best."
"He begins to investigate and finds things are not what they seem to be on the island The case takes the officers on a trail that will lead to a shocking conclusion that will shock the people who live on the island to their very core."
"I have now read all four of the available Inspector David Graham novels and have found them to be extremely well plotted and carefully written."
"This - my latest read - is all the above and more."
"Great characters, with compelling story telling."
"The plot and character development in this latest book drew me into the story, and make me eager to read more of Inspector Graham's cases."
"Love this series!"
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