A retired bachelor’s arrival brings changes to a Cotswolds village: “There is never a dull moment in Thrush Green.” —The New York Times Book ReviewDistinguished bachelor Harold Shoosmith has retired to the English village of Thrush Green. But while he plans to enter a peaceful new stage of life, his arrival stirs ripples of excitement in the small community. Before he knows it, he’s enmeshed in village politics and involved in the private lives of his neighbors—and his friendship with the village rector, a lonely widower, will be the catalyst for a surprising transformation . . . “If you’ve ever enjoyed a visit to Mitford, you’ll relish a visit to Thrush Green.” —Jan Karon, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Mitford novels “Miss Read’s novels are sheer delight.” —Chicago Tribune“What you will find in the novels of Miss Read is an aura of warm happiness.” —The Columbus Dispatch

“An ‘almost true’ tale” of a man’s adventures inheriting an elephant, so “lovingly embellished . . . you’ll almost wish that you had a Rosy in your family too”—from the author of the Corfu Trilogy (Kirkus Reviews). When his uncle passes away unexpectedly, young Adrian Rookwhistle’s inheritance turns his humdrum life upside down. Instead of a manor house, Adrian has been bequeathed Rosy, an elephant whose predilection for fine spirits leads to high jinks far beyond the means of a shy English gentleman.   Convinced that a circus will take the troublesome tusker off his hands, Adrian leads Rosy on a trek to the coast, setting in motion an uproarious adventure of mammoth proportions.   Author Gerald Durrell promises that despite being embellished here and there, “nearly all the adventures in this book really happened.” Ultimately, this tale of a pachyderm with a penchant for pandemonium guarantees pure entertainment.  This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Leftovers: “Darkly tender, simply written tales about growing up in the Garden State in the 1970s.” —The New York Times Book ReviewThe ten rich stories here span from 1969 to 1980 and are linked by a single protagonist: Buddy, an adolescent suburban New Jersey boy who is truly seeing his world for the first time and already finding it both mysterious and lacking. Whether he’s discovering that his mother actually knows—and has a history with—the man inside the battered foam hot dog costume; feeling the first glimmer that sex might actually be possible for him; or finding himself swept along on a prank gone very wrong, Buddy is a recognizable and relatable American boy in this collection by the author of Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Mrs. Fletcher, and The Abstinence Teacher, among other novels.Bad Haircut explores the themes that have fascinated Perrotta throughout his career: suburban rituals and mores; sports and religion; the cheerful cheesiness of American consumer life; public tests of manliness; and the moral dilemmas faced by ordinary people, parents, and teenagers alike.“So sharp and sure in its description of growing up . . . Because this set of stories, like those of J.D. Salinger, are so based in the kind of truth that spans generations, no reference to a particular decade is needed.” —Hartford Courant“More powerful than any coming-of-age novel I’ve read recently.” —The Washington Post“[These] well-made, unpretentious stories are as tight as brick bungalows, plain and serviceable on the outside, radiant within, full of life’s sorrow and wonder.” —Booklist

This classic novel by the acclaimed author and poet examines a cruel episode of Scottish history through the intimate thoughts of an elderly woman.   First published in 1968, Consider the Lilies is widely celebrated as one of the finest achievements in contemporary Scottish literature. Set in the time of the Highland Clearances—the mass eviction of tenant farmers that began in the mid 18th century—it tells the tale of a solitary woman whose home is razed in the name of “agricultural improvement.”   Having lived her whole life among her rural Highland community, she is suddenly told that she will be forced from her home, which will then be burned to the ground. The shattering pronouncement leaves her shocked and disoriented as her thoughts shift between despair for her future and memoires of the life that will soon be gone.