{"title":"Contemporary Urban Fiction","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"angling-sketches","title":"ANGLING SKETCHes","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrief Description: A collection of personal fishing essays and Scottish Highland folk tales by Andrew Lang, covering trout\/salmon fishing experiences across lochs and rivers, local supernatural legends, fishing tackle mishaps, and nostalgic observations of rural landscapes and fading angling traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nite read","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44392560689240,"sku":"NT010","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/5998\/8824\/files\/ChatGPTImage2026_7_17_23_32_59.png?v=1784302390"},{"product_id":"buttercup-gold-and-other-stories","title":"Buttercup Gold and Other Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003eA collection of short fairy tales, nature fables and short poems for children, centering on seasons, flowers, insects, birds and religious holiday themes including Christmas and Easter, with warm, gentle moral lessons about kindness and gratitude.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nite read","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44392627568728,"sku":null,"price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/5998\/8824\/files\/ChatGPTImage2026_7_17_23_57_15.png?v=1784303845"},{"product_id":"the-sea-gull","title":"The Sea-Gull","description":"\u003cp\u003eA four-act tragic play by Chekhov set on a country estate, following intertwined fates of an aging actress, her frustrated playwright son, a renowned novelist and an aspiring young actress. 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The protagonist Rita, a young nurse engaged to gem dealer Anson Durand, witnesses key clues and becomes tangled in the investigation.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInitial suspect: Anson Durand, who was the last person to speak with the victim before her death. After the murder, Mrs. Fairbrother’s gloves—with the diamond hidden inside—are found in Rita’s handbag, planted by the panicked Durand to avoid suspicion. Evidence like bloodstains on his shirt further incriminates him, and he is arrested on murder charges.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRita’s private investigation: Convinced of her fiancé’s innocence, Rita notices a distinguished English statesman Mr. Grey acted abnormally around the diamond at the ball. She digs up hints: a family banshee wail linked to his bloodline, a unique antique stiletto used as the murder weapon bearing his family crest, and a cryptic warning note sent to the victim before the killing. Rita takes a nursing alias to infiltrate Mr. Grey’s household and care for his ill daughter, hoping to uncover proof against him.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew breakthrough for police: Detectives trace a mysterious steward Hiram Sears, who works for Mrs. Fairbrother’s millionaire husband Abner Fairbrother. Sears bears an obsessive, unrequited love for Mrs. Fairbrother, and he secretly hired a man named Wellgood to pose as a waiter at the ball. While tracking Sears, officers discover Abner Fairbrother faked his illness and fled west under his steward’s identity to avoid scrutiny.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTruth revealed: The real killer is Abner Fairbrother. He once stole the rare \"Great Mogul\" diamond from Mr. Grey in England, then commissioned a fake paste replica. Enraged by his wife flaunting the stolen gem and defying his orders, he disguised himself as waiter Wellgood, snuck into the alcove and murdered her. He swapped the genuine diamond with the fake one on-site to shift blame, and used ventriloquism to mimic his family’s cursed wail to distract others. After the crime, he hid out in a remote coastal town, planning to escape by boat. When confronted by Mr. Grey, he confesses to the theft and murder and surrenders the real diamond. Durand is fully exonerated, and Rita reunites with him.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Nite read","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44392917762136,"sku":null,"price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/5998\/8824\/files\/ChatGPTImage2026_7_18_00_28_50.png?v=1784305738"},{"product_id":"buttered-side-down","title":"Buttered Side Down","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt is a collection of ten realistic short stories written by Edna Ferber, set in early 20th-century American cities and small towns. 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All narratives abandon fairy-tale happy endings, truthfully showing that most people merely endure life’s hardships without perfect happy resolutions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nite read","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44409684000856,"sku":null,"price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/5998\/8824\/files\/ChatGPTImage2026_7_21_23_49_33.png?v=1784649028"},{"product_id":"charlottes-web","title":"Charlotte's Web","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen eight-year-old Fern saves a weak newborn pig named Wilbur from being killed and raises him with great care, Wilbur is later sold to Fern’s uncle’s farm. Lonely in the barn, Wilbur befriends a clever grey spider called Charlotte who lives above his pen. After Wilbur learns he will be slaughtered for Christmas ham, Charlotte vows to save his life. She weaves magical words like \"Some Pig\", \"Terrific\", \"Radiant\" and \"Humble\" into her web to make Wilbur famous, drawing crowds of visitors to the farm. At the county fair, Charlotte continues her plan while secretly laying hundreds of eggs. Though she successfully secures Wilbur’s safety and a special award, her life is drawing to an end. Before she passes away, Wilbur brings her egg sac back to the barn. The following spring, most baby spiders drift away on silk balloons, yet three stay to keep Wilbur company, letting him hold onto Charlotte’s everlasting friendship and memory.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nite read","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44409711493208,"sku":null,"price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/5998\/8824\/files\/ChatGPTImage2026_7_21_23_52_58.png?v=1784649190"},{"product_id":"crome-yellow","title":"Crome Yellow","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe novel centers on a young poet Denis Stone, who visits the old country estate Crome owned by Henry Wimbush for a long summer house party. The house guests include Anne (Denis’s unrequited love), a painter Gombauld, intellectual Mr. Scogan, naive idealistic Mary, eccentric spiritualist Priscilla, quiet deaf Jenny, and charismatic socialite Ivor. Throughout idle days filled with meals, garden walks, painting sessions, village fairs and late-night chats, the group debates art, love, religion, philosophy, human nature and societal absurdities. Denis is consumed by jealous, unrequited longing for Anne, while other characters each carry their own obsessions: Priscilla fixates on horoscopes and mystical prophets; Mary obsesses over repressed desire and romantic logic; Scogan expounds radical theories about a rationally controlled future society; Gombauld struggles with his portrait of Anne amid romantic tension; carefree Ivor flirts casually with multiple women. The book weaves witty satirical dialogues, vivid rural scenery and bizarre local historical anecdotes (such as a dwarf ancestor’s tragic story recorded in Henry’s self-written estate history). Subplots feature a hypocritical fire-and-brimstone local priest, a self-proclaimed inspirational writer who churns out hollow uplifting texts, and a village charity fair where guests take on silly roles. Plagued by loneliness and unfulfilled love, Denis finally fabricates an urgent family telegram to flee Crome at the end of the summer. 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Ashamed and terrified of ruining his engagement, he hides his illness, consults an unethical quack who falsely claims a quick cure, and proceeds with the wedding. After they have an infant daughter Gervaise, the baby develops syphilitic symptoms. The truth unravels when the hired wet nurse overhears the family’s secret and shouts it publicly, shattering Henriette, who flees to her father’s home. The narrative unfolds through tragic family conflicts: George’s agonizing guilt, his mother’s desperate attempts to save the sick baby, the wet nurse’s refusal to continue breastfeeding for fear of infection, Henriette’s father’s rage and desire for vengeance, and the physician’s impassioned advocacy for public sexual health education. The doctor criticizes widespread ignorance, prudish silence around venereal disease, lack of mandatory premarital health screenings, unfair stigma against infected people, and systemic failures in medical access for the poor. Multiple tragic case studies are interwoven—including a destitute infected prostitute trapped by poverty, a university student ruined by the disease—to illustrate how ignorance, social hypocrisy and economic hardship create cycles of suffering that harm men, innocent women and vulnerable children. The story ends with fragile reconciliation between George and Henriette, conditional on long-term medical treatment to ensure healthy future children, while the text delivers a core reformist message demanding open sex education, accessible healthcare and compassionate public attitudes toward sexually transmitted illnesses.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nite read","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44409870450776,"sku":null,"price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/5998\/8824\/files\/ChatGPTImage2026_7_22_00_03_42.png?v=1784649838"},{"product_id":"derrick-vaughan-novelist","title":"Derrick Vaughan--Novelist","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"74\" data-end=\"482\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"74\" data-end=\"101\"\u003eDerrick Vaughan--Novelist\u003c\/em\u003e by \u003cstrong data-start=\"105\" data-end=\"119\"\u003eEdna Lyall\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Victorian coming-of-age novel that follows the life of Derrick Vaughan, a gifted but humble young writer whose dream is to become a successful novelist. 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Set in the peaceful countryside of New Jersey, each chapter follows Lad as he protects his beloved family, outsmarts intruders, rescues people in danger, and faces new adventures with remarkable bravery and unwavering devotion.\u003cspan aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1177\" data-end=\"1504\"\u003eRather than focusing on a single continuous plot, the book presents a series of memorable episodes that showcase the extraordinary bond between humans and their canine companion. 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Link Ferris, a poor and isolated man living on a struggling farm in North Jersey, has spent his life surrounded by hard labor, loneliness, and disappointment. His life begins to change when he discovers a badly injured collie abandoned by the roadside. Despite his hardship, Link chooses to rescue the suffering animal, and this act of kindness becomes the beginning of a deep friendship. \u003cspan aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"750\" data-end=\"1171\"\u003eAs Chum recovers, the dog brings companionship, loyalty, and purpose into Link's empty life. The intelligent collie helps him with farm work, protects him from danger, and teaches him the meaning of trust and unconditional affection. 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Rather than presenting a fictional adventure, the book explores the personalities, habits, ambitions, frustrations, and customs of different types of hunters, offering a detailed portrait of nineteenth-century English sporting life. \u003cspan aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"584\" data-end=\"1142\"\u003eThrough chapters focusing on characters such as the reluctant hunter, the enthusiastic sportsman, the hunting lady, the farmer, the hunting parson, the master of hounds, and the beginner learning to ride to hounds, Trollope examines both the pleasures and absurdities of hunting culture. 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Raised in isolation by his violinist father in the mountains, David grows up surrounded by nature, music, and simple truths, knowing little about ordinary society. After his father's death, David is taken in by strangers and enters a small village community where his unusual manners, deep kindness, and remarkable violin playing gradually touch the hearts of the people he meets.\u003cspan aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"682\" data-end=\"1039\"\u003eAs David adapts to a world filled with social rules, misunderstandings, and human struggles, his purity and optimism reveal hidden goodness in others. Through friendships, family relationships, and personal discoveries, he helps heal old wounds and brings warmth to a divided community. 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