• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey ‘there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

 

• Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery

When the imaginative, outspoken orphan Anne Shirley arrives on Prince Edward Island, Matthew Cuthbert and his sister, Marilla, are surprised to say the least. After all, the Cuthberts had requested that the orphanage send a boy to help with the work around their farm. They certainly didn’t bargain for talkative Anne’s outlandish ideas and independent ways. Soon her high spirits win over Matthew and Marilla, even when these same traits lead Anne into mishap after mishap as she makes friends and discovers an exciting new life in the quirky town of Avonlea.

 

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The four March sisters couldn't be more different. But with their father away at war, and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Whether they're putting on a play, forming a secret society, or celebrating Christmas, there's one thing they can't help wondering: Will Father return home safely?

 

• The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden

This beautifully packaged facsimile of Edith Holden’s original diary is filled with a naturalist’s masterful paintings and delightful observations chronicling the English countryside throughout 1906. As one of the few true records of the time in print, the handwritten thoughts and paintings contained in The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady transport readers to a more refined, romantic, and simpler time.

 

• Shady Hollow by Juneau Black

Reporter Vera Vixen is a relative newcomer to Shady Hollow. The fox has a nose for news, so when she catches wind that the death might be a murder, she resolves to get to the bottom of the case, no matter where it leads. As she stirs up still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and discovers that additional lives are in jeopardy.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

 

• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success ― not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

 

• The Complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem

The mice of Brambly Hedge have many adventures, but they always have time for fun and relaxation too. Whatever the season, and whether they are by the sea, in the High Hills, or simply at home by the fire, there is always someone ready to lend a helping hand.

 

• The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz―a magically sentient spider plant―have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

 

• The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert

The author of Peter Rabbit and other creature tales, Beatrix Potter is still, after a century, beloved by children and adults the world over. In this first Cottage Tale, Albert introduces Beatrix, an animal lover who has just bought a farm in England's beautiful Lake District. As Beatrix tries to win over the hearts of her fellow villagers, her animal friends set out to solve a mystery all their own.

 

• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The story follows the whimsical escapades of four anthropomorphic friends: Mole, a curious and gentle soul; Rat, who revels in the pleasures of river life; Toad, whose reckless adventures lead him into frequent trouble; and Badger, the wise and reclusive guardian of the Wild Wood.

 

• The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett

Mary Lennox, a spoiled, ill-tempered, and unhealthy child, comes to live with her reclusive uncle in Misselthwaite Manor on England’s Yorkshire moors after the death of her parents. There she meets a hearty housekeeper and her spirited brother, a dour gardener, and her sickly cousin, Master Colin. After discovering a long-neglected garden, Mary is determined to restore it in secret, leading to a newfound sense of purpose and happiness for Mary and those around her. 

 

• All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

Fresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, to the young James Herriot 1930s Yorkshire seems to offer an idyllic pocket of rural life in a rapidly changing world.