Creatures of Circumstance begins with an explanation from the author telling how this collection came about. He states that he "has never pretended to be anything but a story teller. It has amused me to tell stories and I have told a great many. It is a misfortune for me that the telling of a story just for the sake of the story is not an activity that is in favor with the intelligentsia. I endeavor to bear my misfortunes with fortitude." The short stories in this extraordinary collection—with the exception of one—were written after the close of World War I. Maugham shrewdly and brilliantly exploited the public taste of his time to put on display the changing morality of the twentieth century. An expert storyteller, he was also a master of fictional technique. His fiction offers a synthesis of pleasures in the form of realism, exoticism, shrewd and ironic observation, careful craftsmanship, and characterization. Among the stories included in Creatures of Circumstance are "The Colonel’s Lady," "Flotsam and Jetsam," "Sanatorium," "Appearance and Reality," "The Point of Honor," "A Woman of Fifty," "The Man from Glasgow," and "The Kite."

Product Description: When this gingerbread man was baked, someone forgot to put in the ginger. He’s made of eggs and cinnamon and flour and butter and sugar, but he’s missing a key ingredient! Without ginger, the gingerbread man feels like he’s not really a gingerbread man at all! He can’t be sold in the bakery, so he lives at the back of the store...read more

Product Description: After a brief escape from the summer heat, Olivia Greyson returns to find the safe at The Gingerbread House stuffed with unfamiliar cookie cutters. They're part of a priceless set owned by former local Greta Oskarson, who has come back in hopes that Olivia will broker their sale...read more

Product Description: FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Ah, the great outdoors. Tents, sleeping bags, nature walks, campfires... and maybe a few spells thrown in for good measure! In this entry in the series, Salem takes her first camping trip with the Squirrel Girls, but neither Whammy nor Salem is cut out for roughing it...read more

Product Description: In Keep Running, Gingerbread Man! no one can keep up with the speedy biscuit. Only Fox is fit enough to stand a chance of a teatime treat. But the Gingerbread Man's not just quick on his feet - he's pretty quick-witted too. After outsmarting Fox, he leads the other characters in an aerobics class...read more

Product Description: In this clever twist on the Night Before Christmas story, a gingerbread boy cookie is carefully crafted and placed on a plate. He was made special to serve as Santa's nighttime snack, a homemade thank-you for all the presents he will deliver...read more

Product Description: Book by Penelope Lively

Product Description: Olivia Greyson is the proud owner of The Gingerbread House--a quaint shop that specializes in all things cookie--and her best friend, Maddie, is her sidekick, baking up scrumptious treats for their cookie-themed parties. But a dead body on their front porch might put their bake shop in a truly sticky situation...read more

Product Description: Sugar & Spice make everything nice!The Sugar & Spice Fairies' magic protects sweet treats in both Fairyland and the human world. When mean Jack Frost steals the fairies' delicious magical items, dessert everywhere takes a sour turn...read more

Product Description: Elliot's grandpa is in Heaven now, and Elliot is sad. He is a little nervous to visit Grandma's house since Grandpa won't be there anymore. Will she be upset? Is she lonely?During their visit Grandma shares a special story with Elliot...read more