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The Enchiridion and Discourses is a compilation of Epictetus's philosophical teachings. Although Epictetus spent much of his life as a slave, he believed that all people were free to control their emotional well-being and live in harmony with their circumstance and those around them. His works are a guide for applying philosophy to day-to-day living. Although many of the great philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, promoted grand ideas, they never approached the subject of integrating those ideas into everyday life.

In the 15th century, the Augustinian monk, Thomas Kempis authored one of the most profound Christian works to date. The Imitation of Christ focuses on living the life that Jesus and his followers promoted through ministry, emphasizing the need for isolation and prayer, as well as renouncing worldly vanities and searching for eternal truths as a method of getting closer to Christ and God.

In Politics, Aristotle discusses a variety of different regimes, and methods of community, organizing that would ensure success for the many, providing a convincing argument on the usefulness of Democracy. He also goes into some detail on the structures of different types of governments, including dictatorships, monarchies, and constitutional democracies.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra is the fictional account of the travels and teaching of the prophet Zarathustra. One of the more controversial aspects of Nietzsche's work is that he puts forth the idea of human evolution and the transformation of modern humans from their ape-like ancestors. Nietzsche inserts a number of controversial ideas into his fictional account of Zarathustra, including some reoccurring themes such as the superman, a self-mastered individual.

A Study in Scarlet takes you back to the beginning of one of the most renowned detective duos of all time. After being wounded in the Afghan war, Doctor Watson decides to rent a room from the eccentric scientist, Sherlock Holmes, and is quite intrigued by his new landlord's bizarre behavior. He soon discovers that Holmes is using forensic science to help Scotland Yard solve difficult cases.

In this classic, coming of age story, the winds of change are sweeping over pre-revolutionary Russia. It is a turbulent era of conflict between the Russian nobles and the radical new ideas of the youth. Two friends, Bazarov and Arkady, find themselves entangled in misunderstandings and romantic intrigues.

David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding was considered to be one of the most contentious works of its time. Hume's view of reasoning through experience and "sophistry and illusion" in reference to religiously inspired fantasy was extremely controversial in the 18th century.

This gloomy book is written in the form of letters exchanged between two cousins, Makar Devushkin and Varvara Dobroselova, who live on the same street in a shockingly deprived part of St. Petersburg Russia. Makar is a lowly clerk, who is being bullied at work and lives in the screened-off corner of someone else's kitchen and Varvara has taken in sewing as a means of avoiding falling into prostitution to make money. Their friendship is touching and sentimental, but it begins to suffer.

Alexei Ivanovich is a Russian tutor working in Germany. His employer, the General, is waiting for his wealthy grandmother to die to pay off his debts so that he can marry Mademoiselle Blanche, while Alexei is in love with the General's beautiful but not so kind stepdaughter, Polina, who is scornful of his devotion to her. Alexei dramatically offers to kill himself for Polina, but she asks him instead to place a bet for her at the roulette table of the local casino. Alexei does, and he wins, but still he cannot sway her.

Father Brown was a character created by G.K Chesterton and draws inspiration from Arthur Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. While Sherlock Holmes' detective career relies on his logic and deduction, Father Brown relies on sympathy and intuition to solve mysteries and crime. The Innocence of Father Brown is a collection of 12 stories that have Father Brown doing what he does best; being a detective.

Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 advocating for the independence of the American colonies from Britain and is considered very influential in American history. It stresses the logic of America's independence emphasizing the defects of Britain's monarchy and the economic cost of participating in Britain's repeated wars.

Fey magic and animal magic: that troublemaking imp Trix Woodcutter has both, if not the ability to use them to their full potential. While traveling with his companion - the golden girl Lizinia - to see the King of Eagles, Trix is sent a vision of the Faerie Queen, who is in desperate need of his help.

Sun Tzu's book, The Art of War, is a detailed outline of how to win a war, taken from principles in Chinese science and philosophy. This ideology is divided up into three different parts and is written in a circular way with the first and last chapters relating to the same ideas and tying it all together.

Many people know Benjamin Franklin as one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, but not many people understand exactly what the famed inventor and politician contributed to society. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a compilation of some of the great events from the man's life that have made him an American legend.

Written from his death bed, The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant are written by the most well-known Civil War General himself, Ulysses S. Grant. In a review of his life as a private citizen, as well as a general, Grant lets the listener know what a heroic figure he really was. Like so many men before him, Grant describes being pressured into a certain way of life by his father. He never aspired for a military career, but his father insisted on West Point Academy for his schooling.

After her marriage to Jareth, First Lord of Clan Brannach, Viviane takes up the responsibilities and title of First Lady. But her most difficult task is learning to control her newly emerging talents, with psychic abilities as strong and varied as any first lord would have. On top of that, her brother Carl demands his right to face his accusers at his trial for treason, a bad idea with Viviane's out-of-control talents - talents enhanced by her emotions.

Hard Times, set in 19th century England, explores the moral and social thinking of the time. The rise of self-interest and the climb to the top has forced people to dehumanize themselves, and be more like the machines that run their daily lives. The Gradgrind family learns all too well the effects of social status on the soul as the family patriarch masks his own selfish interests in charitable donations and funding of schools.

Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Warlord of Mars is the third novel in his science-fiction series set on the planet Mars. In the second book, John Carter's wife is taken prisoner by the fake god Issus in the Temple of the Sun. The temple's prisoners are kept in cells that slowly rotate so that the cell is only accessible to the outside world once a year. And thus, in this third novel, John Carter must wait an entire year before he can free his beloved Dejah Thoris.

With his clan's welfare threatened by raiding parties during a harsh winter, Jareth rides to demand restitution from the neighboring first lord, not knowing he will meet the woman of his dreams. Taking her as part of the spoils, he hopes to make her his first lady, not realizing she is the daughter of the first lord. Tensions escalate between the two clans over this beautiful and fiery woman he must make his own.

The classic science-fiction fantasy novel A Princess of Mars, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs is the first in the series that takes place on the planet Mars also called Barsoom. Mars is seen as a hot, dry planet that houses many kinds of alien races including the green Tharks and the Red Martians. John Carter, a former Civil War soldier, is mysteriously teleported to Barsoom when he explores an ancient cave in Arizona.