Showing results by narrator "B. J. Harrison" in All Categories

Edgar Allan Poe pieces together the mind of a monomaniac who is obsessed with the simple and mundane. He discovers, too late, that obsessions, though simple and mundane, can lead you to do unspeakable things.

When a student arrives in a small town, seeking a quiet place where he can study in peace, he rents an old mansion where a notorious hanging judge once lived. But once he begins receiving regular nightly visits by an enormous rat with malevolent eyes, he soon discovers why the locals fear the judge’s house.

Marty Golden can barely string a voicemail message together, let alone keep up with his new love. This quirky uncle's hectic Silicon Valley lifestyle needs a reboot when a youth league soccer game becomes a murder scene. And nothing can stop him from donning his amateur sleuth uniform when he discovers his sweetheart used to have quite a thing for the dead guy.... With a not-so-helpful paw from Buddy the Labrador, he does his best to sniff out a long list of possible suspects. Can Marty solve the case before the trail and his new flame grow cold?

Cornelius Sky is a doorman in a posh Fifth Avenue apartment building that houses New York City’s elite, including a former first lady whose husband was assassinated while in office. It is 1974, and New York City is heading toward a financial crisis. At work, Connie prides himself on his ability to buff a marble floor better than anyone, a talent that so far has kept him from being fired for his drinking.

With considerable effort, the young prince Alexander Gorchakov managed to prevent a large-scale war between St. Petersburg’s old royal families. However, he got into a lot of trouble in the process and his actions did not go unnoticed by Her Imperial Majesty. Now, as his punishment, Alexander is forced to put on a uniform and enroll at a military school...and not at the most prestigious one, for that matter.

John Carter has exposed the fraudulent Martian religion, and now there are many who want him to pay. Among them are the defrocked and black-hearted Thurid, and the bitter patriarch Matai Shang. These two villains concoct a plot that will not only plunge the Martian governments into perpetual chaos, but will condemn the plucky Dejah Thoris to a life of cruelty and misery.

David Copperfield is the tale of a boy who loses his parents at an early age, escapes the torturous conditions of working for his pitiless stepfather, and eventually determines to make something of himself. With a little luck and a lot of help along the way from some of the most colorful characters ever penned, David overcomes to achieve all for which he aspires.

One of the most haunting short horror stories to date is told to us by B.J. Harrison. Our narrator is invited to visit his acquaintance Roderick, who lives in a remote house with his sister when strange things begin to happen. Neither of the siblings appears to be healthy, and the house itself also seems to have a life of its own. What exactly is taking place, and how much worse can it get? The short story by Edgar Allan Poe from the 19th century is a true gothic horror story and not for the faintest of hearts.

H. Rider Haggard's 19th-century novel "Allan Quatermain," is the sequel to the novel "King Solomon's Mines"(1885). In this novel, adventurer Allan Quaterman's son has passed away and Quatermain longs to get back into the wild. From the eastern coast of Africa, he and a party of comrades arrive in the hostile territory of the Maasai and eventually make their way to a sacred lake of the Zu-Vendis. Although they are not welcome, the lake is ruled by two queens who take a great liking to the party.

Guido has lost it all. At rock bottom and wandering the shore, Guido spies a misshapen creature floating toward him in the water, riding on a huge chest. The creature offers Guido a path of revenge – switching bodies for three days in exchange for the untold riches in the chest. Guido unfortunately fails to see a potential downside. Through skillful handling of the gothic motif of the doppelgänger, Shelley’s tale explores concepts that would eventually culminate into her masterpiece – Frankenstein.

A story of how individual destiny can be shaped and formed by mentors and friends. Culwin is a modern villain, whose crimes arise from holding his tongue at crucial moments, so that events further entangle themselves.

Barbara, a young and impetuous heiress, rejects the stern Lord Uplandtowers to elope with a poor but handsome man, Edmund Willowes. When Barbara's parents send Edmund to Europe, they hope to change him into a more suitable match for their daughter. But after disaster strikes, Edmund returns in a way nobody could have imagined.

Mystery surrounds a certain Mr. Karswell. He has purchased an old abbey, is a known alchemist, and has written a ludicrous history of witchcraft. Are these mysterious behaviors those of an irascible eccentric or a coldhearted murderer?

Lucy Honeychurch and her cousin are on a vacation in Florence. The girls are given a room looking into the courtyard, but they would rather have one with a view over the river. George Emerson and his father offer the two girls to change rooms and this is how George and Lucy meet for the first time. George grows fond of Lucy but she is not sure of her feelings towards him. She returns home to England where she accepts to marry Cecil Vyse, a man who had already proposed to her three times.

Mrs. Peerybingle is bright and sharp as a tack. Her husband John is a carrier, a profession as lumbering and sturdy as he is himself. When the crafty Tackleton seeks to cause mischief to forward his own nefarious plans, John’s steady heart is sorely wounded. Luckily there is a cricket on the hearth to act as a guardian angel for all of them. A huge commercial success when it was first published in 1845, this Christmas fantasy is a lovely portrait of Victorian life.

B.J. Harrison breathes life into one of Oscar Wilde’s first short stories, "The Canterville Ghost". The American Hiram B. Otis and his family move to a castle in Canterville Chase in the English countryside. They soon discover that they are not alone in the castle and that the ghost of an old tenant, Sir Simon de Canterville, is with them. Yet the family is not so easily scared, even if the ghost can take many shapes and forms. The short story from the late 19th century mixes humor with the macabre.

B. J. Harrison reads P. G. Wodehouse's second full-length novel featuring the beloved characters Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. Bertie returns from a trip to find his friend seeking advice from Jeeves. Insulted, Bertie attempts to provide counsel of his own to those around him, but with utterly disastrous effects. The novel Right Ho, Jeeves dates back to the early 20th century and features classic Wodehouse twists of humor to amuse readers of all tastes. Not to be missed by friends of situational aristocratic comedy. B. J.

The book that inspired the new Netflix series, "Lupin" with Omar Sy. "The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar" is the first collection of stories about the infamous thief, Arsene Lupin. Cunning, charming, and roguishly good-looking, Lupin leads the French police department on a merry dance across Belle Epoque Paris in these adventure-filled mysteries. Evading the authorities, getting the girl and usually pocketing some rare jewel for himself, Arsene Lupin’s adventures will keep any reader on the edge of their seats. B.

How will Click and Irish survive being marooned on a pirate’s asteroid with only a single gun and a news reel camera to defend themselves?

Miles Standish and Priscilla Mullins immigrate to America, where they meet a scholar and poet named John Alden. The two men become good friends, but they also both fall in love with Priscilla and a love triangle develops between the three of them. Miles Standish is a soldier, athletic and muscular, whilst John Alden is his complete opposite. Alden struggles, wondering whether he should listen to his heart and chose love over friendship. On the other hand, Standish has lost his wife and looks forward to proposing to Priscilla Mullins.