Just Reads

The Time Machine is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively forward or backward through time. The term "time machine", coined b...

"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, then included in the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in 1840. The short story, a work of Gothic fiction, includes themes of madness, family, isolation, and metaphysical identities. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.co...

The themes in "The Greatest Man in the World" by James Thurber include the nature of heroism and appearances versus reality. Jack Smurch displays bravery and independence but lacks traditional heroic qualities, highlighting a discord between his actions and character. The story also critiques how society and media craft false appearances, questioning who is truly at fault—Jack or those who manipul...

The dead sleep peacefully -- until a railway is built near their cemetery. While the old priest works to keep them at rest, the Count's dying wife begs to be buried near the railway. But when her last wish is granted, the priest finds that the sound of the train leaves the Countess far from at peace. With apologies for poor French pronounciation. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spr...

The Time Machine is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively forward or backward through time. The term "time machine", coined b...

" Zero Hour " by Ray Bradbury is a science fiction short story published in the late 1940s. The narrative explores the imaginative world of children and their seemingly innocent game, which takes a darker turn as it intertwines with the realities of adult life and the concept of invasion. The story delves into the themes of childhood innocence ... Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.sp...

The late Leonard Rossiter recorded these for Radio 3 in the early 1980s. They remain one of the finest bits of comedic social satire of the age. Writer Barry Pilton's musings on assorted topic are called in a Nutshell and available, I believe, on CD and DVD. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/just-reads--6173738/support . Please click 'like' and Subcribe and all t...

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is an 1886 Gothic horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is one of the most famous pieces of English l...

The Time Machine is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively forward or backward through time. The term "time machine", coined b...

The Time Machine is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively forward or backward through time. The term "time machine", coined b...

A selfish, bigoted British expat high executive thinks he got the best of life by abusing of all the mod-cons there is - servants mostly - while living in colonial China - till a day he decides to go on a rare stroll through the local cemetery... Contains references which some may find offensive in the original text. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/just-reads--...

" A Warning to the Curious " is a ghost story by English writer M. R. James, first published in  The London Mercury  in August 1925 and collected in James' book  A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories  that same year. The tale tells the story of Paxton, an antiquarian and archaeologist who holidays in "Seaburgh" (a disguised version of Aldeburgh, Suffolk) and inadvertently stumbles acros...

The Time Machine is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively forward or backward through time. The term "time machine", coined b...

Carmilla is an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It is one of the earliest known works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue, the story is narrated by a young woman who is preyed upon by a female vampire named "Carmilla". The titular character is the prototypical example of the fictional lesbian vamp...

The Time Machine is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively forward or backward through time. The term "time machine", coined b...

I listened back to the previous read and wasn't happy with it so I re-recorded it. So this is exactly the same as the previous version of Episode eight, only with a better read. The Time Machine is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the...

Three Men in a Boat, published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing a two-week boating holiday on the Thames from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford and back to Kingston. The book was initially intended to be a serious travel guide, with accounts of local history along the route, but the humorous elements took over to the point where the serious and somewhat senti...

"The Adventure of the German Student" is a short story by Washington Irving, which was published in 1824 in his collection of essays Tales of a Traveller. The story was inspired by a French tale of unknown origin, and several variations of the story have since appeared in print. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/just-reads--6173738/support . Please click 'like' a...

"The Room in the Tower" is a short horror story by E. F. Benson, published in 1912. The Room in the Tower and Other Stories is a compilation of stories by Benson. An unnamed young man has a recurring nightmare in which he visits a friend's house in the summer. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/just-reads--6173738/support . Please click 'like' and Subcribe and all...

"Tushmaker's Toothpuller" is a short story written by John Phoenix, a pseudonym for the American humorist and writer, whose real name was John P. Smith. He was active in the mid-19th century and is known for his humorous and satirical writings, often reflecting the culture and society of his time. The story itself is a comedic narrative that revolves around the character of a toothpuller, showcasi...

‘The Furnished Room’ is a short story by the US short-story writer O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). His stories are characterised by their irony, their occasional sentimentality, and by their surprise twist endings. All of these things became something of a signature feature, and ‘The Furnished Room’, which is one of O. Henry’s more melodramatic tales, showcases the...

The Time Machine is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively forward or backward through time. The term "time machine", coined b...

“The Kropfsberg Keep” by Ralph Adams Cram. It has ghosts, it has misdirection, it has a haunted manor, it has massacres; it has it all. TRIGGER WARNING Contains suicide. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/just-reads--6173738/support . Please click 'like' and Subcribe and all the good stuff.

Gulliver's Travels, originally titled Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift, satirising human nature and the imaginary "travellers' tales" literary subgenre. It is Swift's best-known full-length work, one of the most famo...

Gulliver's Travels, originally titled Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift, satirising human nature and the imaginary "travellers' tales" literary subgenre. It is Swift's best-known full-length work, one of the most famo...