Death in Venice (German: Der Tod in Venedig) is a novella by German author Thomas Mann, published in 1912. It presents an ennobled writer who visits Venice and is liberated, uplifted, and then increasingly obsessed by the sight of a boy in a family of Polish tourists-Tadzio, so nicknamed for Tadeusz. The story focuses on a writer named Gustav von Aschenbach, whose life takes a physical and moral downturn. During a trip to Venice, Aschenbach strays from his rigid, disciplined lifestyle and indulges in a new world of fantasy, intoxication, and infatuation. *i do not own this story....borrowed it from ''The Project Gutenberg eBook'' *

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experience and the stories of his patients, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward. At the heart of his theory, known as logotherapy, is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we find meaningful. "Man's Search For Meaning" has become one if the most influential books in America; it continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living. Born in Vienna in 1905, Viktor E. Frankl published more than thirty books in theoretical and clinical psychology and gained international renown. He died in 1997. •-•-•-•-• "One of the great books of our time." -Harold S. Kushner, author of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" "An enduring work of survival literature." -Nee York Times

Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by the English author George Eliot, first published in eight installments (volumes) during 1871-72. The novel is set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during 1829-32, and it comprises several distinct (though intersecting) stories and a large cast of characters. Significant themes include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Although containing comical elements, Middlemarch is a work of realism that refers to many historical events: the 1832 Reform Act, the beginnings of the railways, the death of King George IV, and the succession of his brother, the Duke of Clarence (the future King William IV). In addition, the work incorporates contemporary medical science and examines the deeply reactionary mindset found within a settled community facing the prospect of unwelcome change.

"Jane Eyre" follows the emotions and experiences of its eponymous character, including her growth to adulthood, and her love for Mr. Rochester, the byronic master of fictitious Thornfield Hall.

"Anna Karenina" is the tragedy of married aristocrat and socialite Anna Karenina and her affair with the affluent Count Vronsky. The story starts when she arrives in the midst of a family broken up by her brother's unbridled womanizing—something that prefigures her own later situation, though with less tolerance for her by others.