Farm Life Fiction

It's 1950 in rural Minnesota, USA. America is still largely an agrarian society, and most families are farm families. Men are HOH's who keep their farms and their families running smoothly with strong discipline. But farm girls, as well as their mothers, often crave something a little livelier than the day to day boredom of the farm and reach out, now and then, for some fun that runs against the social mores of the times, as well as the family's hard and fast rules.

Growing up on his family’s cattle farm in western Iceland, young Orri has gained an appreciation for the beauty found in everyday things: the cavorting of a newborn calf, the return of birdsong after a long winter, the steadfast love of a good (or tolerably good) farm dog. But the outer world still beckons, so Orri leaves his no-nonsense Lithuanian Jewish mother and his taciturn father, Pabbi, to attend university in Reykjavík.

Max visits his grandparents at the farm. He invites his friend Don. What will Max and Don do at the farm?

Jim May grew up in the 1950's, among farm people who had lived along Illinois's Nippersink Creek for generations. Stories told around the kitchen tables, front porches, and horse-trading barns brought laughs, inspired love, and helped ease the sometimes tragic turn of life's events. Speaking in the familiar voice of a longtime neighbor, May shares humorous and affecting events, as well as his Chicago Emmy Award winning tribute to his father, "A Bell for Shorty".

Cassie spends her days watching Grandfather and Caleb in the barn, looking out at Papa working the fields, spying on Sarah feeding the goslings. She's an observer, a writer, a storyteller. Everything is as it should be.

Join in the fun with the clever little ladybird as she thwarts the cunning plans of two greedy thieves, Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len, time and time again. From a plot to steal the farmer's fine prize cow to a wicked plan to take the queen's crown jewels, it's up to the tiniest, quietest creature of all to save the day. Featuring a cast of much-loved farmyard and zoo animals, sea creatures and even a magical mermaid, these fantastic rhyming stories from the stellar picture-book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks are perfect for listening to together.

The title story tells of a typical Christmas at the farm before the coming of Flora Poste. It is a parody of the worst sort of family Christmas: Adam Lambsbreath dresses up as Father Christmas in two of Judith's red shawls. There are unsuitable presents, unpleasant insertions into the pudding and Aunt Ada Doom orders Amos to carve the turkey, adding: 'Ay, would it were a vulture, 'twere more fitting!'

On a trip to the local fair, Jasmine and her best friend, Tom, discover an orphaned baby goat for sale. The owner says he cannot raise her, so this seems like the perfect use for their spending money. But getting the goat home without Jasmine’s parents realizing is nearly impossible, and so is keeping her inside a pen - Willow loves to jump! Jasmine decides to enter the goat in an agility contest (sheepdogs, move over) to show Mom and Dad just how wonderful Willow is.

Small but very determined, Sophie loves animals and is going to be a farmer when she grows up. She has herds of insects and acquires a snail, a rabbit, a cat and a dog. Sophie's cat, Tom, has surprised them all by producing four kittens. There are more animals to come in the year that Sophie hits six, finds a new farming ally, and makes a triumphant entrance into the sporting arena.

In Polish: Charlotte, a prewar inhabitant of Berlin and daughter of a famous antiquarian, falls in love with much older Adolf Ziegler. He's a painter, womanizer, and Hitler's protege who paints nudes of “real, German women”. When Charlotte becomes Adolf's lover, she rejects Kristian's advances. However, Kristian is unable to forget about her...Piotr Adamczyk, the author of The House of Longing, this time presents a sensational, Polish-German epic with great love, politics, art, betrayal, and mystery in the background. It plays out in Nazi Germany and today's Poland.

Kek comes from Africa. In America, he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He’s never walked on ice, and he falls. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter - cold and unkind. In Africa, Kek lived with his mother, father, and brother. But only he and his mother have survived, and now she’s missing. Kek is on his own. Slowly, he makes friends: A girl who is in foster care, an old woman who owns a rundown farm, and a cow whose name means “family” in his native language.

Low broke Cage’s heart by getting with Marcus in Because of Low. Cage went into a tailspin that ended in a DUI. In order to salvage his baseball scholarship - the one thing he truly valued besides Low - Cage must take a summer job. At a farm. Away from Sea Breeze. With lots of cows, but no hot girls. Maybe that’s what Cage needs to get back on track. But wait - there’s that hostile daughter of the farm boss. She’s pretty and occasionally sweet, and there seems to be a lot of sadness and mystery behind her anger.

Angus and Sadie are brother and sister. Angus is bigger. He is a good, brave, and clever dog - and he likes that. Sadie isn't as quick to learn - or to obey. When cats jump at her, she yelps and runs away. Angus thinks that means she's scared of everything. But Sadie isn't so sure that's true.

Baby Zeke and his friends need to find shelter in a cave before the sun rises. All is going well until Otis decides to act tough and take on a player. With the lives of Otis and his chicken, Bob, at stake, will Zeke be able to rescue him? And what does a ewe have to do with it?

Lucia has worked hard as a lawyer in Wales, aiming for a big promotion she hopes will shortly come her way. Finally taking a well-earned break at her grandparents' house in southern Italy, the sunshine, lemon trees and her nonna's mouth-watering cooking make her instantly feel at home. But she's shocked to learn that her grandfather is retiring from the beloved family pizzeria and will need to sell. Lucia can't bear the thought of the place changing hands - especially when she discovers her not-quite-ex-husband, Giacomo, wants to take it over!

While the lingering summer days cast their warm embrace, life at the Blackwood Estate marches forward. The newly constructed winery promises to usher further prosperity onto the farm as Asher and his companions embark on the art of crafting their first wines. Yet, amid the promise of new beginnings and budding relationships, an air of the peculiar descends upon the serene landscape. Episodes of missing time and inexplicable wanderings disrupt the idyllic routine of those who call this unusual farm home.

Meet Eve, who has departed from her 30-year career to become a Free Spirit, Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children, and Anastasia: defiantly independent narrow-boat-dweller, suddenly vulnerable as she awaits a life-saving operation. Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Sally and Eve embark upon a journey through the canals of England, guided by the remote and unsympathetic Anastasia.

On her family’s farm, Jasmine and her best friend, Tom, find the ideal clubhouse for their animal rescue group. But much to their surprise, the shed is already home to a feral cat and her three kittens. When the mother cat leaves, abandoning one of her babies, Jasmine and Tom feel compelled to step in and raise the tiny kitten. But with a house full of rescued animals - and a veterinarian mother who has reached her limit - will Jasmine be able to keep another pet? Or is it someone else’s turn to make a new animal friend?

Dear diary... I'm not exactly a farm girl, but even I was excited to meet farmers Sam and Abby Heyworth. Through their CSA (that's Community Supported Agriculture), they supply most of River Heights with fresh fruits and veggies. But lately Black Creek's food has been making people sick. Really sick. In fact tests revealed that their fruits and vegetables are crawling with deadly bacteria!

Maren Winter is a world-renowned restaurateur who has built an empire. No one heeds the whispers of her retirement more closely than her three daughters, all in service to their mother’s legacy. On the night of Maren’s annual New Year’s Eve party, a line is crossed, and word of a humiliating family meltdown spreads like a Northern California wildfire through the culinary elite. It’s a golden opportunity for one of them to step into power—and a trigger for a spiraling descent into paranoia and blind ambition.