The 8 books on this stack
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Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands
Sarah Brooks · 2025
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER The Great Trans-Siberian Express comes to life in a novel of wild imagination, perfect for fans of Piranesi , Babel , The Night Circus and Jessie Burton 'Brooks's vivid, impressive debut is a turn-of-the-last-century steampunk fantasy set aboard the Great Trans-Siberian Express' FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'I urge everybody to pick up a copy' STUART TURTON 'Be warned - once you step into The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands , you'll never want to disembark ' SAMANTHA SHANNON 'Wild and wonderful . . . completely captivating' JENNIFER SAINT 'Mysterious and clever and brilliant' NATASHA PULLEY It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket. It is the end of the 19th Century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow. Nothing touches this abandoned wilderness except the Great Trans-Siberian Express, an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents but which now transports anyone who dares to cross the shadowy Wastelands. On to the platform steps a curious cast of characters: a grieving woman with a borrowed name, a famous child born on the train and a disgraced naturalist, all heading for the Great Exhibition in Moscow. But the old rules are changing, and there are whispers that the train isn't safe. As secrets begin to unravel, the passengers and crew must survive their journey through the Wastelands together - even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . .
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My Side of the Mountain
Jean Craighead George · 1975
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.
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Greenglass House
Kate Milford · 2014
New York Times Bestseller * National Book Award Nominee * Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again... Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves. But what secrets are these strangers hiding, and what do they want with the old inn? A Cozy Winter Mystery: Snowed in at a smugglers' inn with a cast of strange characters, Milo finds his quiet Christmas vacation has turned into a classic whodunit. An Unlikely Friendship: To solve the puzzle, Milo must team up with Meddy, the cook’s sharp-witted daughter. Their game of make-believe quickly becomes all too real as they hunt for clues. Secrets of a Smuggler's Inn: Each eccentric guest has a story connected to Greenglass House's past. As Milo and Meddy listen, they realize the house's biggest secret may be tied to its very foundations. A Story of Adoption and Identity: As the adopted son of the innkeepers, Milo has always felt a little out of place. This mystery will lead him to discover the truth not just about the house, but about himself and what it means to belong.
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Moominland Midwinter
Tove Jansson · 1962
Meet the Moomins - all 8 magical adventures relaunched in a stunning new package. Celebrating 80 years since the first Moomin book was published! Rediscover the A Puffin Book series and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this magical edition of Moominland Midwinter complete with a charming new cover design. Moomins always sleep through the winter - or they did until the year Moomintroll woke up and found he couldn't go back to sleep again. All the clocks had stopped, there was nothing to eat and no one to talk to at home, so he went out - into the unknown. The valley was white and silent and very scary. But then Moomintroll spied some tracks in the snow. . . They seem to grow in wisdom and delight every time I read them - Philip Pullman
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The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien · 1938
This is the story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected... ‘A flawless masterpiece’ The Times 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 a journey ‘there and back again’. They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon... The prelude to THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE HOBBIT has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most beloved and influential books of the twentieth century.
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The Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame · 2003
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham has charmed children and adults for more than a hundred years. Sebastian Meschenmoser's lush and expressive watercolor and oil painting illustrations bring a fresh look to this unabridged and beloved classic about Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger. Like the gurgling river in the Wild Wood itself, readers will be joyfully swept along to join the antics of these animal friends as they try to keep the irrepressible and fast car driving Toad out of trouble in one of the greatest tales of adventure and camaraderie ever told. Meschenmoser thrills readers with more than one hundred watercolor vignettes and twelve oil paintings capturing the emotions and essence of these lovable characters.
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Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Heather Fawcett · 2023
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A darkly gorgeous fantasy that sparkles with snow and magic, this book wholly enchanted me' Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Enter the world of the hidden folk - and discover the most whimsical, enchanting and heart-warming tale you'll read this year, featuring the intrepid Emily Wilde. . . Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries; she is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encylopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby But as Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones - the most elusive of all faeries - she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all - her own heart. 'Forget dark academia: give me instead this kind of winter-sunshined, sharp-tongued and footnoted academia, full of field trips and grumpy romance' Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light 'A thoroughly charming academic fairy tale, complete with footnotes and a low-key grumpy romance' Guardian 'Enchanting in every sense of the word. . . This book is real magic' H. G. Parry, author of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep 'A book so vividly, endlessly enchanting, so crisply assured, so rich and complete and wise and far-reaching in its worldbuilding that you'll walk away half ensorcelled, sure Fawcett found Emily Wilde's journal in some sea-stained trunk' Melissa Albert ' The ideal book to curl up with on a chilly winter's evening. . . this book is an absolute delight. ' Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy 'A charmingly whimsical delight. . . Five dazzling, gladdening stars' India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels 'I enjoyed every word of this gorgeously written fairy tale featuring a grumpy heroine and an utterly charming love interest' Isabel Ibañez, author of Woven In Moonlight
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Sabriel
Garth Nix · 2001
"Since childhood, Sabriel has lived away from the Old Kingdom, far from the power of free magic and the dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the uncommon necromancer known as the Abhorsen, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. There she meets allies and enemies, comes face to face with her own hidden destiny and must confront an evil that threatens much more than her life. In this classic edition of the first installment in the Old Kingdom series, master of fantasy Garth Nix brings readers back to the incredible world that started it all. Exclusive content, including an original short story featuring Sabriel, an essay from Grath Nix about his writing process and photographs of the author's handwritten manuscript, complete this special edition."--Dust jacket.