All About Books

  Title: SAS Operation: Behind Iraqi Lines Author: Shaun Clarke Publisher: Harper, London Year published: 2016 198 pages The book opens in August 1990, when Iraqi forces invade Kuwait , threatening global oil reserves and triggering the Gulf War . Against this backdrop, the Special Air Service (SAS), renowned for their desert warfare expertise, are deployed to carry out covert operations behind enemy lines. Clarke portrays the SAS as ultimate soldiers tasked with reconnaissance, sabotage, espionage, and hostage rescue missions, often in hostile and unforgiving terrain. Led by Major Mike Hailsham , the unit is inserted into Saudi Arabia before crossing into Iraq for missions that include destroying fiber-optic communication systems, targeting SCUD missile launch sites , and dismantling radar installations. These operations are depicted as both technically demanding and perilously dangerous, requiring stealth, endurance, and absolute discipline. Clarke emphasizes the psychological a...

  Title: The Thirty-Nine Steps Author: John Buchan Librivox Audiobook app Read by Adrian Pretzelis (4 hr 20 min) Richard Hannay is an expatriate recently returned to London from Rhodesia who finds himself bored with the mundane pace of British life.  This listlessness ends abruptly when his neighbor, Franklin Scudder , bursts into his flat claiming to have discovered a high level plot to assassinate the Greek Premier and destabilize Europe.  Scudder reveals a notebook filled with encoded secrets and warns of a group called the Black Stone .  Shortly after, Hannay finds Scudder murdered in his apartment and realizes he is being framed for the crime.  To clear his name and save the country, he flees to the Scottish Highlands . Hannay spends several weeks in Scotland dodging both the police and the conspirators.  During his flight, he assumes various disguises, including that of a milkman and a road mender.  He encounters a series of individuals ran...

  Title: The Mysterious Stranger Author: Mark Twain Librivox Audiobook app Read by John Greenman (3 hr 46 min) The Mysterious Stranger is a philosophical and satirical work that explores human nature, morality, and the meaning of existence.  Set in a small Austrian village during the Middle Ages , the story follows a group of boys who encounter a mysterious figure named Satan , a supernatural being who is not the biblical Satan but his nephew.  Satan possesses extraordinary powers, performing miracles and manipulating reality with ease, and he uses these abilities to challenge the villagers’ beliefs, exposing hypocrisy, cruelty, and ignorance.  Through his interactions, Twain critiques organized religion , superstition , and the moral contradictions of society.  The boys are fascinated by Satan’s wisdom and power, yet unsettled by his indifference to human suffering .  He demonstrates that life is governed by chance and that concepts of good and evil are...

  Title: Madness Author: Roald Dahl Publisher: Penguin Books, London Year published: 2016 256 pages “Madness” is a collection of ten unsettling short stories for adults, first compiled in 2016 as part of a centenary edition of his darker tales.  The book delves into the chilling consequences of losing control—of one’s life, but more profoundly, of one’s own mind—exploring the fine, often domestic, line between sanity and irrationality.  Dahl uses his signature blend of suspense, dark humor, and macabre plot twists to examine themes of obsession, psychological breakdown, and the hidden cruelties lurking beneath polite society. The stories are characterized by ordinary settings and seemingly normal people whose hidden anxieties, eccentric desires, or sudden fixations lead to bizarre and frequently fatal outcomes.  One of the central pieces, “ The Way Up to Heaven ,” focuses on a wealthy, elderly woman with a crippling, pathological obsession with punctuality.  Her...

  Title: Cruelty Author: Roald Dahl Publisher: Penguin Books, London Year published: 2016 240 pages Cruelty is a collection of ten of his darkest short stories for adults, centered around the theme of human malice, greed, and the capacity to inflict suffering on others, often within seemingly ordinary domestic settings.  These tales showcase Dahl's signature style, characterized by a sharp wit, sardonic humor, and the famous " sting in the tail " twist ending, which is often darker and more disturbing than his well-known children's works. The stories explore the various forms cruelty can take, ranging from deliberate malice to thoughtless, accidental unkindness, and the destructive power of obsession.  The collection includes a diverse cast of characters from different social strata, all revealing their inherent streak of nastiness. One story, " Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat ," involves an adulterous wife who receives a luxurious mink coat from her lo...

  Title: Alonzo Fitz and Other Stories Author: Mark Twain Librivox Audiobook app Read by John Greenman (3 hr 19 min) Alonzo Fitz and Other Stories by Mark Twain is a diverse collection of satirical, humorous, and thought-provoking short pieces that showcase Twain’s mastery of wit and social commentary. Through these stories and essays, Twain explores human nature, cultural absurdities, and the contradictions of society with his signature blend of irony and charm. In The Loves of Alonzo Fitz , Twain introduces an imaginative romance conducted through a new invention—an early concept of the telephone—blending comedy, technology, and mistaken identity to comment on the nature of human connection. Clarence and Rosannah Ethelton follows a tale of miscommunication and misplaced affection, reflecting Twain’s keen eye for the folly of love and social expectations. On The Decay of the Art of Lying is a humorous yet insightful essay in which Twain argues that lying, if done with good inten...

  Title: Echo's Bones Author: Samuel Beckett Publisher: Faber & Faber, London Year published: 2014 121 pages Echo's Bones is a short story first written in 1933 and only published decades later.  It was intended as an additional tale to Beckett’s collection More Pricks Than Kicks but was initially rejected for being too strange and unsettling. The story follows Belacqua Shuah , Beckett’s recurring anti-hero, who has already died in the earlier collection.  In Echo's Bones, he is resurrected and wanders through surreal and bizarre encounters that mix death, sexuality, and absurd humor .  The narrative unfolds in a fragmented, dreamlike style filled with puns, mythological allusions , and grotesque imagery. The text reflects Beckett’s early experimentation with themes that would define his later work: the futility of existence , the absurdity of human desire , and the blending of comedy with despair.  It is both difficult and playful, showing the seeds of his ...

  Title: The Swiss Family Robinson Author: Johan David Wyss Librivox Audiobook app Read by Mark F Smith (12 hr 45 min) This adventurous tale is about a Swiss family who becomes shipwrecked on a deserted island while en route to a new life. Stranded far from civilization, the father, mother, and their four sons must rely on their resourcefulness, cooperation, and knowledge of nature to survive and thrive. They construct shelters, cultivate crops, and domesticate animals such as buffaloes , donkeys , and monkeys . Using their skills, they build tools, create a water system, and even transform a large hollow tree into a multi-level home.  Despite facing challenges like wild animals and a frightening encounter with island natives, the family gradually turns the island into a prosperous settlement. As time passes, they grow deeply attached to their new way of life. When the opportunity to return to society arises, not all members are eager to leave.  The novel emphasizes the...

  Title: Diary of a U-Boat Commander Author: Stephen King-Hall Librivox Audiobook app Read by Mark F Smith (5 hr 21 min) This book is a fictionalized memoir presented as the diary of a young German naval officer during World War I . The narrative follows Lieutenant Karl von Schenk , an aristocratic and idealistic officer who joins the German Imperial Navy and is eventually placed in command of a U-boat . Through his diary entries, Schenk records his journey from eager patriotism to the grim realities of submarine warfare . Initially thrilled by the prestige and excitement of serving in the navy, he becomes disillusioned by the moral complexities and brutal consequences of war.  As he undertakes dangerous missions in the North Sea and the Atlantic , he witnesses the suffering inflicted on enemy sailors and civilians, including the sinking of merchant and passenger ships. The story delves into the psychological strain faced by U-boat crews, the loneliness of command, and the...

  Title: Among Malay Pirates and Other Tales of Adventure and Peril Author: GA Henty Librivox Audiobook app Read by Librivox volunteers This is a collection of short adventure stories featuring themes of courage, danger, and exploration. Set during the height of the British Empire in the 19th century, the book takes readers to various exotic and perilous locations, including Southeast Asia and Africa . The title story, Among Malay Pirates , follows British sailors as they confront Malay pirates in the treacherous waters of the East Indies . The narrative centers on a daring rescue mission and highlights the bravery, discipline, and resourcefulness of the characters involved. Other stories in the collection involve similarly thrilling situations—such as shipwrecks , battles with local tribes, and survival in hostile environments. Each tale portrays young protagonists facing extraordinary challenges, often drawing on their moral strength, intelligence, and a sense of duty. Overall...