When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year. When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.

Two little girls stand with their heads bowed in my living room. I’m told they’re my granddaughters. Daisy is nine, and Alice seven. Daisy is the spitting image of her mother. This is the first time I’ve met them since my daughter and I fell out after she married that waste of space, Vince. They’ve come to live with me because their mother — my daughter — was murdered. In her own home while they slept close by. I think Vince killed her. But the police can’t prove it. I’ve always known he was no good. He treated my daughter like dirt. I said he’d cheat on her — but she wouldn’t listen.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

First published in 1843, it tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.

Clark Griswold was onto something...at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.

My fiancé brought me tea and scrambled eggs in bed that morning, and we snuggled together, talking about buying our rings, and about our perfect wedding next year. Then we headed into town. He held my hand and gazed at the ring I liked best, a smile spreading slowly over his face. Then a glass of bubbly to celebrate. I felt flushed, excited and ready for the rest of my life with the man I loved. We race to get on the train home. It screams to a halt and I run towards its open doors. Made it. I think he’s right behind me — but when I turn around, he’s gone.

Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally.

Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.

Here is a delightful look at childhood, written by master poet and storyteller Robert Louis Stevenson. In this collection A Child's Garden of Verses of 64 poems, Stevenson recalls the joys of his childhood, from sailing boats down a river, to waiting for the lamplighter, to sailing off to foreign lands in his imagination. Nothing has ever been written that appeals to a child's nature more than A Child's Garden of Verses. It is written in a simple verse that a child can readily understand.

Settle down for this classic and well loved tale of The Snow Man by Hans Christian Andersen. A tale of a Snow Man who comes to life by a magical breeze and longs to be able to run.

A baby hippo learns about diversity when he discovers that animals come in many shapes and sizes.

Jack London — a writer whose works are enthusiastically read all over the world. His collection Love of Life is one of the brilliant pearls of his Northern stories cycle. Alaska is the place where each person should reveal their own real features. The North makes equal the poor and the rich; the intense cold does not take into account the infirmity; harsh, biting wind is indifferent to the social status, and a wild beast does not discriminate between social standings.

The Madman, His Parables and Poems is a book written by Kahlil Gibran, which was published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf in 1918, with illustrations reproduced from original drawings by the author. It was Gibran's first book in English to be published, also marking the beginning of the second phase of Gibran's career. May Ziade, with whom Gibran had been corresponding since 1912, reviewed it in Al-Hilal, a magazine in Egypt. Among the most significant works Kahlil Gibran: "Broken Wings", "The Prophet", "The Earth Gods" , "The Garden of the Prophet".

It is a short story that tells about the future of humanity and the end of the world.

Pu Yi, a spoiled but lonely child emperor, learns to ride a bicycle with the help of his tutor, hoping it will impress his aloof father.

Louisa May Alcott, born on November 29, 1832, was a 19th century American novelist best known as author of the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Raised by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May Alcott and Amos Bronson Alcott in New England, she grew up among many of the well-known intellectuals of the day. Nevertheless, her family suffered severe financial difficulties and Alcott worked to help support the family from an early age. Louisa May Alcott was also an aficionado of “blood and thunder tales,” sensational short stories that she could sell to magazines.

Writer, poet, critic, and editor Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809 and became a literary sensation in 1845 with the publication of his poem "The Raven," considered a great American literary work and one of the best of Poe's career. His creative talents led to the beginning of different literary genres, earning him the nickname "Father of the Detective Story" among other distinctions. He produced thrilling tales, such as “The Cask of Amontillado," and poems such as "Ulalume" and "The Bells."

The Goophered Grapevine is the first short story from The Conjure Woman, published in The Atlantic in August 1887, told to the narrator by Julius McAdoo, a former enslaved man who lives on the plantation that the narrator, John, and his wife, Annie, visit one day. Set in Patesville, North Carolina, John and Annie moved there for an improvement in his wife's health and to seek other business opportunities. Knowing that the couple wanted to purchase the property, McAdoo advises them not to do so, informing them that when Dugal McAdoo, the previous master, purchased the property, it was very rich in wine production because of its vineyards.

Evelyn Witch has everything a witch needs. Messy hair, bubbling potions, and perfectly carved pumpkins. But there’s something missing… A pet! Perhaps she’ll get a bat or a griffin, or—Oh. She can only afford the mystery pet: a plain white egg. She watches and waits for it to hatch. Sniveling snails, something has to be done! Evelyn rolls up her sleeves and heads to the library, where they keep all the best spells. It’s time to get serious.

Everybody has a favorite bug. Some like shiny, colorful beetles or busy ants or soft pale moths best. Others prefer spindly walking sticks or fuzzy caterpillars that turn into bright butterflies.

When Shay's family gathers for a day at Granny’s house, there's one thing she can count on: there will be Double Dutch. Shay would much prefer if her family would join her in another activity, like rollerblading or hula hooping (the stuff Shay does best!). But there's no convincing her cousins, or her aunties, who can't wait to join the fun! Luckily, Shay's family is supportive, and with just the right balance of encouragement and bravery, Shay might be able to conquer her fears. She may even have what it takes to be a Double Dutch Queen!

Swim along with Willa Whale as she explores the experience of trying, practicing, and making mistakes. She might just discover that everyone makes mistakes when they try new things—even grown-ups and The Pout-Pout Fish!—and that mistakes are an important part of learning and growing.

Memoirs of a Madman or Diary of a Madman is a farcical short story by Nikolai Gogol. Along with The Overcoat and The Nose, Diary of a Madman is considered to be one of Gogol's greatest short stories. The tale centers on the life of a minor civil servant during the repressive era of Nicholas I. Following the format of a diary, the story shows the descent of the protagonist, Poprishchin, into insanity. Diary of a Madman, the only one of Gogol's works written in first person, follows diary-entry format.