It’s December, and although this is a very busy month, it’s also a good time to take a few spiritual breaks. Here are 10 gems of our catalogue helping you to do exactly that.

The heroine of Marie Corelli’s Romance of Two Worlds suffers from depression and suicidal thoughts. So, her doctor sends her off on a vacation where she meets a mysterious Italian. And he guides her on the way to divine visions and spiritual healing…

Islamic theologian Al Ghazali had a similar experience: When he could not reconcile his inner self and his beliefs, he went into seclusion on the search for divine truth. His Confessions are an autobiographical description of this time in his life.

A false accusation sent Judah Ben Hur to the galleys, and when he finally escapes, he seeks revenge… But he didn’t quite expect what he does find instead in our dramatic reading of the famous novel by Lew Wallace.

Karl Gjellerup sends a German scientist and his daughter through India in search of an old manuscript that may contain the secret of reincarnation. Find out if they can discover it in the German novel Die Weltwanderer.

According to Shantideva, The Path of Light is not an easy one to travel. It requires quite some work from the very first thought of enlightenment to achieve full Buddhahood.

Reverend Thomas Owen has his work cut out for him when he travels to Africa as a missionary. However, The Wizard of the tribe challenges him to a duel – their gods against his. Who will finally prevail in this “tale of victorious faith” by H. Rider Haggard?

We don’t know what John Wesley would have done in such a case. However, the founder of the Methodist Church has given numerous Sermons on Several Occasions, so we’re confident he would have found the right words.

While looking for the right words for his Hofgedachten, Jacob Cats was strolling through his property. His religious poetry about God and the world was extremely popular in the Netherlands.

Extremely unpopular is Christmas with the merchants of a small town. So, they try to convince everyone not to celebrate it this year. However, if Christmas hadn’t been invented yet, we people would do it in an instant in the cute book by Zona Gale.

What if… Jesus hadn’t been born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago? What if… he had come to earth in early 20th century America instead? Would he have been Rejected of Men? Read the story by Howard Pyle to find out if things would have been different.

Enjoy – and Happy Holidays everyone!

November has come, and with it long and cold and dark nights. Best to huddle up inside with 10 spooky gems from our catalog.

Who knows what hides out there in The Night Land, as earth is called after the sun has burnt out. The remains of the human race, living in a pyramid called The Last Redoubt, send out a rescue expedition, but is there anyone left to save in the novel by William H. Hodgson?

In order to save people from shipwreck, a new lighthouse is built in Cornwall. Celebrating its completion, the locals gather on the Eddystone in a dark November night in 1703. But it seems they are in need of the light more than anyone else in the story by Wilhelm Jensen.

A damsel in distress and a hero to save her from the bad aristocrat – a pretty standard story … were it not for The Castle Spectre who is sticking his bony fingers in as well. Find out what role he plays in the dramatic romance by Matthew Lewis.

Algernon Blackwood writes about The Man Who Found Out, but what exactly? Well, two researchers finally discover the artifacts known as the Tablets of the Gods, containing nothing less than the true purpose of the human race. Some things better stay hidden…

Just like the abysses of the human soul. Famous Spanish author Gustavo A. Becquer explores them masterfully in his collection of 22 Leyendas. We also have a selection of those stories in a German translation.

When dealing with bad people, wouldn’t it be nice if one could recognise them immediately? Elsie and Ralph Benedict believed they could teach others How to Analyse People on Sight. Try their methods and tell us if they work!

The victims of Antoine-Francois Desrues found out too late about his character. He poisoned a wealthy woman and her son to get to their estate – but was eventually caught and executed. Read the details of this true and Celebrated Crime in the biography by Alexandre Dumas.

Also a lot to say about crime – though probably not from own experience – has Harry Houdini. In his book The Right Way to do Wrong the master contortionist explains the many ways how criminals try to take advantage of their victims.

In the novel by Daniel A. Lord, it seems that somebody is trying to get the better of the Erkenwolds, a family with proud history complete with family ghost who appears before a death in the family. But there is something odd about these current Red Arrows in the Night…

A bit weird is the poetry by William T. Parkes. In a humorous parody of “ye olde poetry”, he writes … creepy ghost stories. Read The Spook Ballads and see if you’ll end up laughing for fright.

Enjoy – and stay warm and safe!

The sheer endless prairies of the North American continent have inspired people from the first settlers until today. Let’s explore the Wild West with 10 gems from our catalog.

Of course, before doing so, we need to be properly prepared. The Boy Scouts Handbook teaches everything a future cowboy needs to know about wood- and campcraft, tracks and trailing, and even chivalry.

Reading that book before setting out to California might have led to a better outcome for Eliza P. Donner Houghton. She was orphaned at the age of four and recounts in this biography The Expedition of the Donner Party and its Tragic Fate.

Frank and his three friends hope to avoid a tragedy like this by going through the Panama Canal on their way to California. However, on their search for Gold in the novel by Stewart Edward White, they still encounter plenty of desperadoes, natural disasters and unfriendly indians.

Definitely not friendly either are the Apache when a railroad is built through their territory. Only when engineer Old Shatterhand saves the life of Winnetou, the relationship improves. Find out how the two became blood brothers in the famous German western by Karl May.

Less idealising is Charles Alexander Eastman’s biography of Indian Heroes and Great Chieftans. We hear about the – sometimes flawed – life of real great people like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Red Cloud.

There is definitely something wrong with Our American Cousin – so his English relatives believe, when Asa Trenchard shows up to claim the family estate. Find out if the two branches of the family can make a deal in this play by Tom Taylor.

There will be no deal with rancher Conrad in The Delafield Affair, ever. After all, his father was cheated out of a lot of money by a Mr. Delafield years ago. Will Curt Conrad finally get his revenge in the novel by Florence Finch Kelly?

Revenge is not what Wildfire is looking for. Freedom will do just as nicely for the fierce red stallion that has been subdued – but not broken – by man. Zane Grey’s first western describes masterfully the yearning any creature feels for freedom.

The American Stephen Crane, poet, novelist, and short story writer, also had a deep understanding of yearning of all kinds, which he expressed throughout his writings. The Black Riders and Other Lines is a collection of enigmatic poetry in free verse.

Eventually, every trail ends, and our final gem this month is Deadwood Dick’s Doom by Edward L. Wheeler. It has all the ingredients a good western needs: gun men and indians, strong gentlemen protecting weak ladies – and Calamity Jane, who doesn’t need their help at all.

Enjoy – and blaze your own trail!