The Handmaid and the Carpenter

Berg's sweetly understated dramatization of the Nativity story casts Mary and Joseph as provincial teenagers who try to honor family tradition in spite of challenging circumstances. Alternating between the voices of the holy couple, Berg relates a romance that blossoms at the wedding of relatives between the 16-year-old carpenter from Nazareth and the comely 13-year-old girl originally from Sepphoris. Mary, dreamy and intractable, already entertains notions of miraculous circumstances surrounding her own birth to her barren mother, Anne. Joseph is instantly smitten and engenders the trust of both families for a betrothal, yet Mary holds back, cherishing a sense of greater destiny.

The Art of Mending

At her annual family reunion, Laura Bartone, a 50-something "quilt artist," is forced to confront the secrets that have long haunted her family. Her emotionally unstable sister, Caroline, tells Laura and their brother, Steve, that their mother abused her as a child. As Laura and Steve-whose own childhoods were reasonably happy-struggle to make sense of Caroline's accusations and wonder how they could've been oblivious to or complicit in what happened, their father dies. This could be the stuff of melodrama, but Berg generally manages to avoid it. Her prose is often luminous and buoyant, and her insights can be penetrating.

An Anarchist

This short story from Joseph Conrad is among his best.
The man's head and shoulders emerged above the deck, over which were scattered various tools of his trade and a few pieces of machinery. He was doing some repairs to the engines. At the sound of our footsteps he raised anxiously a grimy face with a pointed chin and a tiny fair moustache. What could be seen of his delicate features under the black smudges appeared to me wasted and livid in the greenish shade of the enormous tree spreading its foliage over the launch moored close to the bank.

Gaspar Ruiz

Dive into a tale of political intrigue from Joseph Conrad, the Polish-born writer who came to be known as one of the masters of English-language fiction. In "Gaspar Ruiz," Conrad explores the psychological trauma of wartime against the backdrop of the Chilean war for independence. This tale is a treat for fans of Conrad's work or historical fiction enthusiasts.

Falk - A Reminiscence

Falk" by Joseph Conrad is a story of the protagonist who confesses his crime. He holds back a dreadful secret that restricts his ability to live life to the fullest. This is another work by Conrad that depicts human psychology and unravelling events of the contemporary era. Engrossing!