The Country Doctor

Honoré de Balzac

The Country Doctor (Le Médecin de Campagne), by Honoré de Balzac, belongs to the series known as Scenes from Country Life; a part of his great cycle of fiction, The Comedy of Human Life. It is one of Balzacs noblest pieces of fiction, presenting beautiful traits of human nature with sympathy and power. The scene is laid in a village near Grenoble in France, and the story begins with the year 1829. Doctor Benassis is the title character of this novel. He is a compassionate and conscientious physician who ministers to the psychological and spiritual as well as physical needs of the villagers among whom he has chosen to practice medicine. A chance visitor is enchanted with the small, exceedingly well-run village and intrigued by the unparalleled popularity of Doctor Benassis. Slowly he learns the history, not only of the village but of the man himself, including why he buried himself in such a remote area.

The Country of the Knife

Robert E. Howard

This early work by Robert E. Howard was originally published in 1936. Knife Country is a novel from the El Borak series of Texans in the early 20th century in Afghanistan. Very interesting book.

The Counts Chauffeur. Being the Confessions of George Ewart, Chauffeur to Count Bindo Di Ferraris

William Le Queux

When I was fourteen, we moved to London with my father. He became an agent on Wood Street, City, representing a large silk maker in Lyon. At the age of twenty, I worked in an office with dusty books and a large armchair that I did not really like. I was always interested in mechanics, but my father did not perceive her as a profession and wanted me to walk in his footsteps.

The Court of St. Simon

E. Phillips Oppenheim

E. Phillips Oppenheim, writing as Anthony Partridge, in 1912. A curious tale in three parts. The Court of St. Simon, by E. Phillips Oppenheim tells the story of Monsieur Simon with his consort Josephine, who lives in the demi-monde of Paris, consorts with criminals and artists, and exacts contributions from various evil-doers in the Court of St. Simon an underground tribunal of, for, and by, the criminal class. One evening, he brings along with the jaded youth Eugene dArgminac who falls under the spell of blood lust and becomes a criminal himself. Edward Phillips Oppenheim provides a thrill of another sort!

The Courts of the Morning

John Buchan

Although this book was listed in a collection of Richard Hannay stories, Hannay makes only a brief appearance at the beginning. Begins in the pleasant atmosphere of a country house in the Scottish borders, where Richard Hannay is the guest of his old friend, Sandy Arbuthnot. The action is set in Olifa, a fictional country on the west coast of South America. When Sandy Arbuthnots friend John Blenkiron discover that a charismatic industrial tycoon is plotting to rule the world from his base in the small South American country of Olifa, Sandy leads a revolution to scuttle the plot and allow the Olifans to decide their own fate. As it turns out, these events are only the prelude to a dramatic series of adventures which take place against the backdrop of a small South American Republic that has fallen under the spell of a ruthless Dictator.

The Crater, or, Vulcans Peak. A Tale of the Pacific

James Fenimore Cooper

Two surviving American sailors, Mark and Bob, found themselves on a bare volcanic rock in the middle of the ocean. Gradually, they manage to form a soil layer using silt, guano and algae. As a result of a storm, Bob is carried away on a boat to the ocean, but he manages to get to America, from where, after stories about adventures, a party of their 9 relatives and friends of sailors arrives.

The Creation of a Conscious Machine. The AI Quest: Building Awareness with Advanced Artificial Intelligence Technologies

Mercury Learning and Information, Jean E. Tardy

This book delves into Generative AI and the potential for AI to achieve consciousness. It covers historical and modern perspectives on AI, from ancient myths to the Turing Test and current advancements. The book explores the theoretical and practical aspects of creating a conscious AI, including specifications for synthetic consciousness and integrating AI with human cognition. It questions whether generative AI can meet traditional criteria of consciousness.The journey begins with understanding consciousness, tracing AI's origins, and clarifying human cognition through AI. It examines early AI failures, fears of success, and the engineering of consciousness. The book also explores archaic AI representations, the intelligence of automatons, and the relevance of the Turing Test, concluding with strategies for achieving synthetic consciousness.These concepts are crucial for advancing AI towards synthetic consciousness. This book transitions readers from historical perspectives to modern AI challenges, blending theory with practical insights. It is an essential resource for understanding the future of AI and its potential to achieve consciousness.

The Cricket on the Hearth

Charles Dickens

The Cricket on the Hearth - a novella by Charles Dickens, an English writer who is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.   John Peerybingle, a carrier, lives with his young wife Dot, their baby boy and their nanny Tilly Slowboy. A cricket chirps on the hearth and acts as a guardian angel to the family. One day a mysterious elderly stranger comes to visit and takes up lodging at Peerybingle's house for a few days.  

The Crimes Club. A Record of Secret Investigations Into Some Amazing Crimes, Mostly Withheld From the Public

William Le Queux

I sometimes despair of the country ever becoming alive to the danger of the unpreparedness of our present position until too late to prevent some fatal catastrophe. This was the keynote of a solemn warning made in the House of Lords by Earl Roberts. His lordship, whilst drawing attention to our present inadequate forces, strongly urged that action should be taken in accordance with the recommendations of the Elgin Commission that no military system could be considered satisfactory which did not contain powers of expansion outside the limit of the regular forces of the Crown.

The Crimson Blind

Fred M. White

Many people go through financial difficulties. The popular detective novelist David Steele finds himself in a difficult financial situation and accepts an invitation from an unknown mysterious lady who offers to help with his debts. Instead, she wants him to solve her unpleasant situation. He performs his part of the deal. Upon arrival home, he discovers a corpse.

The Crimson Circle

Edgar Wallace

The mysterious Crimson Circle is a high-level protection society: pay them, or you die. Every wealthy man goes in fear of them if hes smart, and dies if he isnt. This is a criminal genius who recruits people in trouble, rescues them with help or cash, and puts them to work on robbery, blackmail and murder. At least one man is dead after refusing to pay L100,000. Will there be more bodies? The Circle has many minions, including the mysterious and beautiful Thalia Drummond, and many wealthy and high-powered potential victims. Derrick Yale and Inspector Parr track down the criminals in a race against time in this classic British detective thriller by the master of mystery Edgar Wallace.

The Crimson Gardenia

Rex Beach

The royal yacht dropped anchor to the roar of the cannons, and the king went ashore. The city was hung with flags; a thousand whistles sounded. Up the garlanded streets, His Majesty was led between long lines of blue-coated officers, followed by an impatient crowd for miles after miles.

The Crimson Sign

H.A. Cody

The whole story revolves around the colony of Acadia, which belonged to New France. For this territory was the most intense struggle between Britain and France. However, the territory was divided into British colonies, which became Canadian provinces and American states. This historical work and hook on everyone who is interested in history.

The Crimson Tide

Robert W. Chambers

This story is about a young girl, a companion of the Russian royal family, who made the decision to renounce God, the church and marriage after seeing the fall of the Czars. This story will keep you in suspense until the very end.

The Crook in Crimson

Edgar Wallace

Edgar Wallace is continuing to introduce readers to Mr. J. G. Reeder, one of the least glamorous of all fictional detectives. Mr. J. G. Reeder is neither a police detective nor an amateur crime-fighter, nor is he a private detective. In fact he is employed by the Bank of England, and acts as a kind of consultant to Scotland Yard. This is vintage Wallace, with no great depths but a good deal of humor and plenty of engaging goings-on along Wallaces beloved Thames. Wallace was a British author who is best known for creating King Kong. Wallace was a very prolific writer despite his sudden death at age 56. In total Wallace is credited with over 170 novels, almost 1,000 short stories, and 18 stage plays.

The Croquet Player

Herbert George Wells

A soul-corrupting evil invades the remote English village of Cainsmarsh, infesting the minds of the local residents. Dark events are plaguing its people. An elderly woman stiffens in dread at her own shadow; a terrified farmer murders a scarecrow; food prepared by others is eyed with suspicion; family pets are bludgeoned to death; loving couples are devoured by rage and violence. People are becoming suspicious of every move each other makes. Children are coming to school with marks on them. A spirit-corrupting evil pervades the land, infesting the minds of those who call Cainsmarsh home... Is this vision real, or a paranoid fantasy? And is the call to resist the danger itself a danger? These are questions that disturb the calm of an indolent croquet player who happens to hear the tale of the unlucky village. H. G. Wellss ambiguous story of horror is a modern classic, a prophetic, disturbing glimpse of the primitive distrust and violence that gnaw at the heart of the modern world.

The Cross Brand

Max Brand

In "The Cross Brand", Sheriff Harry Ganton and Jack Bristol have been friends since they were young. But when Harry accuses Jack of trying to steal his girl, guns blaze and the sheriff is shot. Jack Bristol stole his horse and rode off, not into the sunset, but into the mountains. The mountain man held him captive for months and then released him. Why? And why did the girl scream with terror when she saw his face? A Western take on the story of Kane and Abel. This is Max Brand at his best. Experience the West as only Max Brand could write it!

The Crouching Beast

Valentine Williams

It is 1914, but war has not yet broken out. Olivia Dunbar, a young English woman, is working in Germany as a private secretary. She obtains secret military information, and becomes entangled in a British secret agent operation, and encounters the terrifying Dr. Grundt, head of German counter-intelligence: the crouching beast of the title. The Crouching Beast by Valentine Williams is an example of the reluctant spy sub-genre, in which an innocent civilian finds himself caught up in the dangerous game of espionage. The twist in this book is that the innocent civilian is a young woman. She is also the narrator of the tale. Third in the seven book series about the dreaded German Secret Service Chief Dr. Adolph Grundt. The Crouching Beast is an effective and enjoyable espionage thriller.

The Cruise of the Dazzler

Jack London

“The Cruise of the Dazzler” is a book by Jack London, an American novelist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.   The Cruise of the Dazzler is an early novel by Jack London, set in his home city of San Francisco. It is considered a boy's adventure novel. In the novel, Joe Bronson, dissatisfied with his dull life at school, runs away and joins the crew of a sloop he sees in San Francisco Bay. He finds the captain is involved in criminal activities.  

The Cruise of the Dazzler

Jack London

This is an early Jack London novel set in his hometown of San Francisco. It is considered the novel of a boys adventure. In the novel, Joe Bronson, dissatisfied with his dull life at school, runs away and joins the sloop team, he sees in San Francisco Bay. He finds that the captain is involved in criminal activity. Navigational actions on board a sailing boat are genuinely described, and there are convincing descriptions of boats that endure stormy weather at sea.

The Cruise of the Snark

Jack London

“The Cruise of the Snark” is a book by Jack London, an American novelist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.   The Cruise of the Snark is a non-fictional book by Jack London chronicling his sailing adventure in 1907 across the south Pacific in his ketch the Snark. Accompanying London on this voyage was his wife Charmian London and a small crew. London taught himself celestial navigation and the basics of sailing and of boats during the course of this adventure and describes these details to the reader. He visits exotic locations including the Solomon Islands and Hawaii, and his first-person accounts provide insight into these remote places at the beginning of the 20th century.  

The Crystal Stopper

Maurice Leblanc

The Crystal Stopper is a ripping tale, with non-stop intrigue, action, twists and turns, and a healthy dose of Lupin humor. The story concerns the mysterious pursuit, appearances and disappearances and reappearances of a crystal decanter stopper. Why are so many people hot to get their hands on this seemingly worthless object? In a unique twist, the villainous Arsene Lupin becomes the hero of this novel when he faces a sly and blackmailing French deputy, Daubrecq, in a nail-biting adventure that seems to spell doom to Lupin and his gang. Lupins every move seems anticipated by Daubrecq and his success in saving his followers from the guillotine remains unsure to the very end. Can his marvelous intellect really have met its match in this truly evil deputy?

The Cure of Silver Caon

Max Brand

Do you love stories about the untamed days of the Old West? In "Seor Coyote", Frank Pollard, a small-time rancher down on his luck and owing the bank $500, looks to his legendary friend, Slip Liddell, to give him the money before the banker, Foster, forecloses on his ranch. Liddell refuses to pay Foster, even for his friend. Pollard threatens to do something about it, and then the bank is robbed and Foster shot. Will Liddell help when his friend is accused of the crime? "The Cure of Silver Canyon" is a wonderful Max Brand Western short that blends plenty of drama, action, and emotion into an exciting read. Experience the West as only Max Brand could write it!

The Curious Quest

E. Phillips Oppenheim

Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946) was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction. This novel is an Oppenheim classic from 1919 about a high society villain: characteristic of Oppenheims typical works, with the characters living in luxury, and a very flowing and exact story. Much of Oppenheims work possesses a unique escapist charm, featuring protagonists who delight in Epicurean meals, surroundings of intense luxury, and the relaxed pursuit of criminal practice, on either side of the law. The Curious Quest is a lovely tale of a rich man having to spend a year earning his own money because he is bored and ill. Full of action and scams.